Should the health insurance Pregnant pay for the blood test for Down syndrome? The Federal Joint Committee of health insurance funds, Physicians, hospitals, and patient representatives has now proposed: Yes, in certain cases. The decision now organizations take an official position. The final decision is expected to fall in the late summer, then must the Federal Ministry of health. Previously, it may be in April, an orientation debate in the Bundestag.
According to the opinion of the Federal Committee, the statutory funds to pay for the Test, but only then, if there are any particular risks or abnormalities in the pregnancy. The Test is ethically controversial, because many parents decide after a positive result for a termination of pregnancy. In Germany, for example, 30,000 to 50,000 people live with Down syndrome.
The Chairman of the Federal Joint Committee, Joseph hedges, had declared that his panel had only the order to check the procedure of scientifically-technically. On the ethical and legal aspects of the policy would need to decide.
Down syndrome What is trisomy 21?
trisomy 21 is the most common deviation of the number of chromosomes – occurs in about one out of 800 infants. Some Doctors and medical practitioners Down syndrome, denote, therefore, not as a disease but as an anomaly.
The cause of the anomaly is an error in the formation of the germ cells (sperm and egg). In the normal case, the person has the chromosomes of 23 pairs of chromosomes – 22 autosomes pairs plus two sex. During fertilization, the germ cells of the parents unite. These each lead to a single set of chromosomes, which merge to a double set. The first cell of the child therefore has a total of 46 chromosomes. In rare cases, the germ cell contains one chromosome more. In the case of each people, of forming germ cells, such random events. As soon as this unites with the germ cell of the other parent, produces a cell with 47 chromosomes. The extra chromosome is one of the no 21, a child with Down syndrome to the world.
