The Sophistication of Ellis Island in Prenatal Diagnosis with Subsequent “Selective Termination” of Babies with Disabilities

Severn B. , The Immigrant Years, (New York: Julian Messner, a division of Simon and Schuster, 1971), p. 90.

Bolino A.C. , The Ellis Island Source Book, (Washington D.C., Kensington Historical Press, 1985), p. 17.

See reference 1, p. 86–87.

See reference 2, p. 27.

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See reference 2, p. 27.

Benton B. Ellis Island: A Pictorial History, (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1985). p.98.

Cioffi A. , The Fetus As Medical Patient: Moral Dilemmas in Prenatal Diagnosis from a Catholic Perspective, (Lantham, MD: University Press of America, 1995). p. 44.

See reference 8, p. 44–48.

See reference 8. p. 48.

For recent developments in the treatment of anomalies in utero, see: Czeizel A. , & Dudas I. , “Prevention of the First Occurrence of Neural-Tube Defects by Periconceptional Vitamin Supplementation,” The New England Journal of Medicine, Dec. 24. 1992, pp. 1832–1835; J.C. Hobbins, “Diagnosis and Management of Neural-Tube Defects Today,” The New England Journal of Medicine, 424(10), p. 690–691; M.R. Harrison, N.S. Adzick, M.T. Longaker, et al., “Successful Repair in Utero of a Fetal Diaphragmatic Hernia after Removal of Herniated Viscera from the Left Thorax,” The New England Journal of Medicine, May 31, 1990, pp. 1582–1584; M. Longaker, M.S. Golbus, R.A. Filly, et al., “Maternal Outcome after Open Fetal Surgery,” Journal of the American Medical Association, 265(6), pp. 737–741; and C. Marwick, “Coming to Terms with Indications for Fetal Surgery,” Journal of the American Medical Association, 270(17), p. 2025–2029.

Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith, Instruction On Respect For Human Life In Its Origin And On The Dignity Of Procreation: Replies to certain questions of the day. (1987), reprinted in Ethics & Medics, (Braintree, MA: Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center, now the National Catholic Bioethics Center, Boston), p. 11.

See reference 12, p. 11.

See reference 8, p. 210–211.

See reference 12, p. 2.

Some Catholic physicians object to prenatal testing even when it is to “favor a serene and informed acceptance of the child not yet born.” They argue that prevalent eugenic thought is so rampant that while prenatal testing to better prepare parents is moral, it almost never happens solely for that purpose. Hoover P. , personal communication, November 21, 1998.

Pope John Paul I.I. , Encyclical Letter: Evangelium Vitae (Vatican City: Liberia Editrice Vaticana, 1995) n. 63.

See reference 7. p. 81.

Annas G.J. , “Who's Afraid of the Human Genome?,” Hastings Center Report, July/August, 1989, 19(14), p. 20.

Wertz D.C. , & Fletcher J.C. , “Fatal Knowledge? Prenatal Diagnosis and Sex Selection,” Hastings Center Report, May/June 1989, 19(3), p. 21.

See reference 7, p. 92.

Garver K.L. , & Garver B. , “The Human Genome Project and Eugenic Concerns,” The American Journal of Human Genetics, 53: 1, 1994, p. 153.

Mao X. , “Chinese Geneticists’ Views of Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing and Screening: Evidence for Eugenics in China,” American Journal of Human Genetics, 1998, 63: 688–695.

Binding K. , & Hoche A. , The Release of the Destruction of Life Devoid of Value, (originally published by Felix Meiner, Peipzig, Germany, 1920. translated 1975 by R. Sassone, Santa Anna, CA), P. 35.

National Institute of Health, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, “Screening for Down Syndrome,” chapter 41 in Clinical Preventive Services, prepared by Carolyn DiGuiseppi, M.D., MPH, [on-line]http://text.nlm.nih.gov/cps/www/cps.47.html, March 24, 1997. See also Waitzman N.J. , Romano P.S. , & Scheffler R.M. , “Estimates of the Economic Costs of Birth Defects”. Inquiry: The Journal of Healthcare Organization, Provision, and Financing, (Blue Cross and Blue Shield), 31(2) Summer 1994, pp. 188–205.

See reference 24, p. 37.

Garver K.L. , “Nazi Medicine, The Nuremberg Code and Their Relevance Today,” Genetics in Practice, (Pittsburgh: Allegheny University of the Health Sciences), May 1997, 4: 2, p. 7.

LaChat M.R. , “Utilitarian Reasoning in Nazi Medical Policy: Some Preliminary Investigations,” Linacre Quarterly, 1975, 42: 14–37.

Furton E.J. , “The Human Genome: A Progress Report,” Ethics & Medics, (Boston: National Catholic Bioethics Center), 23: 7, July 1998, p. 4.

See reference 12, p. 11.

For the purposes of this article, the “screening” referred to here entails the screening of conceived but unborn persons who may or may not have a genetic “defect.” Space here does not permit an examination of ethical issues related to the screening of genetic predispositions prior to conception.

Wertz D.W. , “Is There Ever a Moral Duty to Use Prenatal Diagnosis and Selective Abortion?” The Gene Letter, 2(1), August 1997, http://www.geneletter.org/0897//prenatal.html.

Thomasa D. , “Policies, Protocols, Guidelines, and Programs.” in Medical Ethics. (Gaithersburg. MD: Aspen Publishers. 1996) p. 1: 19.

Kristol E. , “Picture Perfect: The Politics of Prenatal Testing,” First Things, April, 1993, 32: 17–34. [see also on-line] http:www.ocf.org/ca3/PicturePerfect.html

Simpson J.L. , & Elias S. , Essentials of Prenatal Diagnosis, (New York: Churchill Livingstone. 1993), p. 45.

See reference 29, p. 4.

See reference 8, p. 253.

Phillips O.P. , Elias S. , Shulman L.P. , “Maternal Serum Screening for Fetal Down's Syndrome in Women Less that 35 Years of Age Using Alpha-fetaprotein. hCG and Unconjugated Estriol: A Prospective Two Year Study,” Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1992; 80(3)(1), pp. 353–358. See also J.E. Haddow, G.E. Palomaki, G.J. Knight, et al., “Prenatal Screening for Down's Syndrome with use of Maternal Serum Markers,” New England Journal of Medicine, 1992; 327: 588–593.

Freud S. , Collected Papers. IV first published in Zeitsckrift. Vol. III (1915); reprinted in The Major Works of Sigmund Freud, (William Benton, Publisher, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Chicago, 1952), p. 428.

Wolfensberger W. Social Role Valorization Module on Unconsciousness, (unpublished manuscript, 1983).

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Hentoff M. , “Let's Stop Deceiving Ourselves About Abortion,” Human Life Review, 1975, I(2), p. 89.

See reference 41, p. 247.

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See reference 41, p. 1381.

See reference 41, pp. 361, 562.

Evans J. , “Ancient and Medieval Philosophy,” Survey of Western Philosophy [on-line] abstract from: http://www.websteruniv.edU/∼evansja/glossary.html#sophists, Webster University, 1996.

Durant W. , The Life of Greece: The Story of Civilization, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939), pp. 359–360.

Kelves D. , In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986) p. ix.

For a more in-depth discussion of genetics and eugenics, see the article by Kenneth L. Garver , and Garver Bettylee entitled “Eugenics: Past, Present, and the Future,” The American Journal of Human Genetics, 1991, 49: 1109–1118. See also “The Human Genome Project and Eugenics” by Rev. Eduardo Rodriguez, in The Linacre Quarterly, May, 1998, 65(2), pp. 73–81.

Sanger M. , The Pivot of Civilization, (New York: Bretano's, 1922), p. 274.

Sanger M. , Woman and the New Race, (New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1920), p. 89.

See reference 52, p. 229.

For an extensive discussion of when life begins, see The Fetus as Medical Patient: Moral Dilemmas in Prenatal Diagnosis from a Catholic Perspective, by Alfred Cioffi (reference 8, above). See also “On the Beginning of Human Life,” by Whelton Beverly J.B. , The Linacre Quarterly, February, 1998, 65(11), pp. 51–63.

See reference 8, p. 156.

Pope John Paul II , Encyclical Letter: Veritatis Splendor, (1993), (Boston: Pauline Books and Media), n. 13. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,” Gaudium et Spes, (1962), n. 24.

O'Rourke K. , “Because the Lord Loved You,” Hospital Progress, (St. Louis, MO: Journal of the Catholic Health Association, 1973), 54(8), p. 75.

Gretz S. , An Interview with Sharon Gretz, A.J. Hildebrand, Ed., (unpublished manuscript, 1998).

Pope Pius X.I.I. , Acta Apostolicae Sedis, XXXV, 238–39, in Gerald Kelly, Medico-Moral Problems, Part 3, p. 2–3.