Amniocentesis cannot determine definitively determine if a fetus has Down Syndrome patient, and we must accept that uncertainty accompanies pregnancy, according to Dr. Talya Miron-Shatz and Dr. Sivan Rappaport who wrote an article on “Informed Consent for Amniocentesis” in the Hebrew edition of Ha'aretz. They claim: “Most of us are not used to verifying the specificity and sensitivity of the tests and this casts doubt on our ability to make informed decisions about testing and treatment, or to know what to expect from them. Therefore, the responsibility that expectant parents recognize and understand (to the extent possible) the benefits, risks and limitations of amniocentesis rests on both the doctor and themselves. Otherwise, the words “informed consent” are meaningless because amniocentesis is not synonymous with certitude.”

 

 

Dr. Talya Miron-Shatz heads the Research Institute for Medical Decision Making at Ono Academic College and is CEO of Cure My Way. Dr. Sivan Rappaport is a visiting researcher at Columbia Business School in New York.