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September 10, 2008 5:41 PM

Katie Couric's Notebook: Down Syndrome

You've probably seen pictures of Sarah Palin and her husband with their five month-old son. He's one of the 5,000 babies born in this country each year with Down Syndrome. It's a heart-breaking diagnosis for any parent ... hopes and dreams suddenly shattered. It means their won't be able to live independently as an adult.

Advocacy groups are using Palin's candidacy as a chance to educate Americans about this genetic disorder, and that includes advising doctors to give expectant couples the entire picture, and not just one option.

In many cases, a woman who is told she's carrying a baby with Down Syndrome terminates her pregnancy. That can be an agonizing choice, but the parents of children with Down Syndrome say doctors do need to give parents all the information they need and deserve so they can make the choice that's right for them.
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katie couric ,
down syndrome ,
sarah palin
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Katie Couric's Notebook

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