Several companies are racing to bring safer, more reliable prenatal tests for Down syndrome to the market. But questions abound about why these tests are not required to be proven accurate before being recommended to the general public.

The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate such tests. And despite medical advances, positive results in the new tests will likely need to be confirmed, at least initially, through the more traditional testing method of amniocentesis, which caries the risk of causing a miscarriage. Though the makers of the new Down syndrome tests say the need for secondary testing should diminish, some experts are wary.

Meanwhile, advocates for those with Down syndrome and abortion opponents worry that the new tests could mean that more pregnancies are terminated, reports The Washington Post. To read more click here.

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