The College involved in developing the prenatal test have now altered their website after receiving many emails concerned about the autism prenatal test.
They are now stating that the autism test (blood test done after birth or later) is not being used prenatally.
It seems that they did not expect, or like, the questions about the tests they are researching there.
It is clear to me that they have a test for autism, that very similar tests are being used prenatally, and that they are working on a prenatal test for autism.
I am relieved that they are not currently offering to test for autism prenatally, BUT I am sure that they are testing prenatally for autism as part of their research, and conducting the test privately.
However, the longer that they delay in making that test available to the general public is more time for us to campaign about it, and spread awareness.
A message to Baylor College: you did not reply to my email, but please tell us if you are NOT researching a prenatal test for autism, and not using the test on women as part of that research.
How very contradictory. We shouldn't have expected a straight answer from Waco, however.
baylor college of medicne is not located in waco, they are in houston, and no longer affilated with baylor university, which is in waco.
here's the info on wikipedia:
In 1900, three physicians founded the "University of Dallas Medical Department", in Dallas, despite the fact that a "University of Dallas" did not exist. In 1903, it was acquired by Baylor University and became known as the Baylor College of Medicine, remaining in Dallas. In 1943, Dallas civic leaders wanted to build larger facilities for the university in a new medical center, but only if the College of Medicine would surrender its denominational alliances with the General Baptist Convention. Baylor refused, and with funding from the M. D. Anderson Foundation and others, the College of Medicine moved to Houston. In 1969, the Baylor College of Medicine became independent from Baylor University. However, Baylor University and Baylor College of Medicine have entered into an agreement through the Baylor2 program that provides five Baylor undergraduates with full tuition scholarships and acceptance into Baylor College of Medicine.
It's a good wake-up call. We can be sure that somebody sooner or later WILL develop such a test and it will be used.
Alison
It's a good wake-up call. We can be sure that somebody sooner or later WILL develop such a test and it will be used.
Alison
Well they do have such a test, and will be using it in research, they just aren't selling it to the public yet.
It's a good wake-up call. We can be sure that somebody sooner or later WILL develop such a test and it will be used.
Alison
Well they do have such a test, and will be using it in research, they just aren't selling it to the public yet.
What are the odds that the medical community at large has gotten their hands on this thing yet? Because we could try to make one final push for them to destroy the thing and delay the cure for a good 5 or 6 years.
Does anyone know about legal implications of putting out such a test for prenatal testing?
If prenatal testing should ever result in parents wanting their kids not born, what would be the legal aspects of that situation?
And what for doctors giving recommendations on that issue?
What is the legal-ethical framework in which genetic consulting takes place?
What if health insurrances decide for or against refunding such tests?
Did anybody get a webshot of their original content before they changed it?
How exactly did they originally word all this? Did they mention prenatal or did it just hint at it?
Just curious. :smile:
Sorry to post again, but this seems to pose more threat to the abortion of those rarer cases of Autism caused by Fragile X, etc., or even other disorders such as Williams' Syndrome, than for the majority of those with an ASD.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't protest, but perhaps we should feel outraged for all potentially endangered disorders, like Williams', than just for ourselves.
There's potential for more support outside just the Autistic community on this, a whole other range of disorders currently detected by FISH.
It poses a threat to everyone on the spectrum ultimately, and our children if we choose to have them.
Once they make the test for the mainstream market, it will be a battle to make people aware of the issues behind it.
Is there any information on how accurate this test is, anyway?
Any information at all?
I did notice that some tests would only be done when requested because a family member had a positive test for certain syndromes.
This would make me not want to disclose that I have AS to other family members just because they might want to abort my future neices and nephews for having autism.
The information about the testing procedures does not give any information about what doctors should do when a positive test result is given. It is up to the doctor and patient to decide what actions should be taken. I just feel that women are not informed enough about what will happen AFTER they get the test results. They are just told about the risks of the procedures and not really much about WHAT tests are looking for and treatments are available. But that is not the company job anyway; they just make the tests. Possibley they want to give the most clinical information since their market is doctors and clinics anyway. Too much information might lead them to be targetted by anti-abortion lobbies.
Is a Christian mother who would refuse an abortion being irresponsible in refusing all prenatal genetic testing? Unless there is reasonable treatment or preparations that can be made before or after the birth. ??
It's such a comfort to know that the people who are busy researching the genes for synaesthesia are based in a lab at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston (I'm being sarcastic).
This is their web page soliciting for synaesthetes to help them with their research: http:// neuro.bcm.edu/eagleman/syn.html (broken link)