To the Editor:

I am shocked to hear of people who because of reasons of acceptance or tolerance of their own children with Down syndrome would advocate that others go through the tremendous social, medical and monetary burdens that are inevitable parts of this disorder.

As a pediatric cardiologist who cares for many of these very sweet children who have heart disease (approximately 50 percent incidence in children with Down syndrome), I am aware of the tremendous time and resources that parents have to devote to their child’s care and the effect that it has on family dynamics.

While cardiac surgery has made many strides to correct most of these problems, many of these children are still left with a lifetime of significant illness. This is on top of the myriad other problems that are realized to some degree in all Down syndrome children.

Medicine is often said to be “in the business of putting itself out of business” by promoting preventive care, including prenatal testing. For those who would not choose to terminate under any circumstance, there is no need to obtain testing, but for those who would like to know and possibly terminate (90 percent, according to the article), these tests are invaluable, should be made available to all and may help individuals possibly avoid a very significant life-changing illness.

Gil Herzberg, M.D.
Larchmont, N.Y., May 10, 2007