Most couples say they are both profoundly grateful for the new information and hugely burdened by the choices it forces them to make. The availability of tests earlier in pregnancy mean that if they opt for an abortion it can be safer and less public.

But first they must decide: What defect, if any, is reason enough to end a pregnancy that was very much wanted? Shortened limbs that could be partly treated with growth hormones? What about a life expectancy of only a few months? What about 30 years? Or a 20 percent chance of mental retardation?

I have personal experience with this issue. It has clouded my opinion. I realize this. All I want is consistency. I insist on it. It is not your hypocrisy that bothers me either. It is society's. It allows well intentioned people to say with a straight face, "I absolutely respect the sanctity of life, except if it REALLY REALLY REALLY inconveniences me". That is why that even in the rightest right winger's lexicon, you still find clauses that include the murder (if you are pro-life) of babies based on their genetics and the potential inconvenience to the parents. I think this is a travesty. Pick a side. Either you are pro-choice (the world has too many unwanted babies as it is - hell, too many homo saps in general), or you are pro-life, no matter what form that life comes in.

Children with Canavan disease cannot crawl, walk, sit or talk. Over time they may suffer seizures, become paralyzed, mentally retarded or blind and have trouble swallowing. Although hearing usually remains a functioning sense, deafness may also result. Most children do not live past age 10.

In stage 1, it is noticed that the child starts to lag behind and develops difficult behavior. In stage 2, the child may become extremely active, restless, and often have very difficult behavior. Some children have sleep disturbances. Many like to chew on their hands, clothes, or other accessible items. Language and understanding will gradually become lost. Some children never become toilet trained and those who do will eventually lose the ability. In stage 3, the child will begin to slow down. They have more difficulty when walking or running and fall often, eventually losing the ability to walk altogether.

The current life expectancy for children with Sanfilippo syndrome is 14 to 20 years. However, parents should remain hopeful in that researchers are actively working on a cure to save the lives of children with this disease.

FOP is short for Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. The disease is also known as Myositis Ossificans Progressiva; the name was modified in the 1970s to acknowledge the involvement of other soft, or fibrous, tissues in addition to muscle. FOP is a rare genetic disorder in which bone forms in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues. Bridges of extra bone form across the joints in characteristic patterns, progressively restricting movement. FOP is a disease in which the body produces not just too much bone, but an extra skeleton that immobilizes the joints of the body.

During the first or second decade of life, children form painful fibrous nodules over the neck, back, and shoulders which mature into bone in a process known as heterotopic ossification. FOP then progresses along the trunk and limbs of the body. These lesions slowly replace the body's muscles with normal appearing bone. Any attempt to remove the extra bone results in even more robust bone formation. People who have FOP experience different rates of new bone formation; in some the progress is rapid, while in others it is more gradual.

What do you think Jesus would have wanted for me. To abort my Down Syndrome child or to accept her as she is?