"This coalition letter basically talks about genetic tests that are being marketed to pregnant women as a way to determine whether their unborn child suffers from a rare genetic condition such as Down syndrome," says Rob Chambers, vice president of policy and legislative affairs for American Family Association, of the signers of the letter.
"Studies indicate that these tests are wrong basically about 85% of the time …," Chambers continues, "but many times women who get that news are aborting their baby."
The letter states, in part:
"Considering the fact that these unreliable tests are now used by more than a third of pregnant women in America and that many families have tragically opted for an abortion when a potentially false positive is rendered instead of seeking another test to confirm the result, the lives of millions of unborn children are at risk."
As a result, the coalition urges Congress to stop any Medicaid funding of these prenatal tests, and to require informed consent to users of the prevalence of false positives.
"We would ask supporters to contact their members of the House and Senate about this information," says Chambers. "We would urge [those lawmakers] to ensure that any pregnant women who are receiving these tests are warned that they are largely inaccurate."
The letter compares this situation to that of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds to cover the cost of abortion, stating: "Under no circumstances should Medicaid be extended to cover tests that may mislead women into killing their unborn children."
Other signers include Kristan Hawkins (Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action), Jeanne Mancini (March for Life Action), Penny Nance (Concerned Women for America), and Terry Schilling (American Principles Project).
Related article:
A Valentine's Day gift for the unborn
Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
