MOSAIC MOMENTS

On Tuesday many celebrated with the news that the Kennedy-Brownback Prenatally Diagnosed Act passed in the Senate. The vote was unanimous.

Sen. Sam Brownback Kansas (R) told LifeNews.com,“This bill will greatly benefit expecting parents who receive the sometimes overwhelming news that their unborn child may be born with a disability,” he said. “This legislation will provide parents with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities.”

The bill is meant to provide up-to-date and accurate information to families who are prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome, Spina Bifida, Cystic Fibrosis, or dwarfism. Additionally, it provides a clearinghouse of information and support to those families who have been prenatally diagnosed or their child up to one year of age has been diagnosed.

This is one small step, as now it must pass through the House of Representatives. (I find myself singing that old School House Rock song… “I’m Just a Bill“)

IMDSA is one of the supporting organizations on this act and we applaud all of those who have made this happen. This is a great step towards making a difference in so many lives and that is what is important–making a difference. We have made our calls and are hoping that the House of Representatives leaders will not hold this bill up. Time is of the essence here, as we are hoping to have this act in place before President Bush leaves office.

Now, For the Bad News….

I receive Google Alerts on the keyword Down syndrome and mosaic Down syndrome. Sometimes I will receive more than one article in an alert. Yesterday I received many Google Alerts. In most of them, there were two articles, each with the same topics.

The first, the Great news about the Prenatal Diagnosis Act being passed in the Senate.

The next, Sequenom’s excitement of being one step further to wiping out those with Down syndrome. They are excited because they are getting closer to having their test “perfected”. The following is from the Sequenom press release:

The Company expects to continue its current development activities through the end of 2008, at which time the Company will initiate a multi-site 3,000 to 5,000-sample laboratory developed test (LDT) validation study, which is expected to be completed and submitted for publication at the time of the anticipated commercial launch in June 2009. To facilitate the LDT validation study, Sequenom also indicated that the company will be collaborating with new clinical partners who perform in excess of 12,000 amniocenteses and 3,000 CVS per year. In addition, Sequenom announced sponsorship of the RNA Noninvasive Aneuploidies (”RNA”) study, a landmark, multi-center, prospective study involving up to 10,000 samples from first and second trimester pregnancies using the SEQureDx technology, managed and analyzed by an independent third-party. During the Analyst Briefing, management also highlighted key upcoming milestones for the prenatal diagnostics business, including:

– Confirm 10-week or earlier gestational age testing   

– Evaluate integration of T18 (Edward’s syndrome) assay into the first generation test

– Initiate T21 LDT clinical validation study evaluating 3,000 to 5,000 samples

– Complete T21 testing of up to 800 additional high prevalence specimens by year-end 2008

– Initiate “RNA” multi-center study involving 10,000 high prevalence patient samples

 – Submission of key data for publication

 – Commercial launch of T21 test in first half of 2009

To read the entire press release, click here.

Make no mistake about this information. This is eugenics. And, looking at the numbers, it is quite scary. The reason they want to “Confirm 10-week or earlier gestational age testing” because the earlier they can detect, the earlier they can abort. When they say they want to “evaluate 3000-5000 ’samples’” those ’samples’ are babies before they are born. They want to “complete up to 800 ’specimens’ before year-end of 2008″ What this means? In the next three months they hope to identify and alleviate 800 babies with Down syndrome and other genetic ‘defects’. And the RNA? Together they want to study 10,000 babies in the first and second trimester.

So, while we are thrilled with the passing of the Prenatal Diagnosis Act in the Senate, Sequenom has a deaf ear on all of this and are working hard to wipe out Down syndrome. Hopefully, this act will slow down Sequenom and their intentions.

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