As the NHS is poised to offer pregnant women a Down's syndrome test, one mum tells Vicki Green why there was no choice to make...

IT HAS been revealed recently that all pregnant women are to be offered NHS tests for Down's syndrome.

This is a move that could double the number of Down's babies detected but may ultimately result in a rise in abortions.

Many women will face an increased risk of miscarriage from the invasive tests used to diagnose the genetic disorder.

Francesca Lambert is a mother to two and a half year old twins Eric and Joe, who both have Down's syndrome.

She says that even if she'd had the test for Down's when she was pregnant with the twins, she would never have aborted them.

"As I was over 35 when I was pregnant with them I was offered the chance to have the conclusive test for Down's," Francesca, 39, says.

"I thought about it but I decided that even if my babies did have Down's I wouldn't terminate them.

"For a start they were an unplanned pregnancy.

"I already have two children, Sean, 13 and four-year-old Amber.

"And it is against my principles to abort a baby just on the basis that it has a disability.

"I have always believed that it is a lottery having children, and even if you have a perfectly healthy baby, things can go wrong."

Down's syndrome is the result of an additional chromosome 21.

What causes the presence of the additional chromosome at the time of conception is still unknown.

Although the risk of having a baby with Down's syndrome increases with maternal age, babies with Down's syndrome are born at the same rate into families from all social, economic and racial backgrounds, and to parents of all ages.

On average, two Down's babies are born in the UK each day.

But medical experts admit that screening makes it likely that more women will choose to have an abortion.

A Down's baby can be aborted legally at up to 28 weeks of pregnancy because the condition is classed as a major deformity.

"I respect other parents' rights to choose to abort if they want to," says Francesca. "But I think there are a lot of myths and fallacies about Down's syndrome.

"I am bringing Eric and Joe up to be able to live independently.

"At the moment they can't walk and can only speak a few words.

"I communicate with them by using Makaton, a form of sign language. But it will not always be that way - they are just slower to learn.

"In the future, there is nothing to stop them getting GCSEs, having a career, loving relationships, even bringing up families of their own.

"I know that I would be doing them a great disservice if I made them so that they are dependent on me.

"It is difficult to say to other parents that they should have a child with Down's.

"It is not an easy thing to do and sometimes I do want to sit down and cry.

"But the twins are a joy to behold. They have to try a lot harder but when they do achieve things it is truly wonderful."