Mark Leach is an attorney with a Master's in Bioethics, focusing on health law and public contracts. His interest in bioethics concerns the issues surrounding prenatal testing and Down syndrome.

Indiana bans Down syndrome selective abortions

Well ... not exactly. Read to the end to see what the law says, what it actually does, and the problem that it codifies about Down syndrome.  Continue Reading

The impact of a life with Down syndrome

What is the impact of a life with Down syndrome? A new study reports on the impact on families and one young woman's life testifies to the impact a life with Down syndrome can have.   Continue Reading

What does your cell free DNA screen result for Down syndrome mean?

This is a question that gets asked at least once a week in a comment to one of the hundreds of posts on this blog: my blood test just came back for Down syndrome--what does it mean? Fortunately, there's an on-line tool to help understand these results.  Continue Reading

Abortion, the Supreme Court, & Down syndrome

Wednesday, March 2, 2016, the United Supreme Court heard arguments on the first major abortion case before it in years. It reveals what is at issue with the vacancy on the court due to Justice Scalia's death and the option most women choose following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome: abortion. Continue Reading

Our story: juvenile attitudes towards people with Down syndrome

A hike through Cumberland Gap National Historical Park provided a teachable moment. Continue Reading

Envisioning a life with a child with Down syndrome

Envisioning a life with a child with Down syndrome is one of the biggest challenges for most expectant parents receiving a prenatal test result. Here's how the testing laboratories' images frame that future and what resources are available to help patients see the possibilities of a future with a child with Down syndrome. Continue Reading

How Down syndrome prenatal screening’s administration is about elimination … & what’s needed to change that

In her column in Forbes, Kavin Senapathy, a self-styled scientific mythbuster, took on claims that prenatal genetic testing has as its purpose eliminating those with Down syndrome. Unfortunately, her column retold myths and she based her mythbusting on fantasy. Continue Reading

Our story: IQ, IEPs, & Injustice

Yesterday, I attended a three-hour IEP meeting for my daughter. It demonstrated the systematic injustice that disables those it labels disabled. Continue Reading

Sarah Knapton: Please update your inaccurate, biased report on the NHS offering NIPT to high-risk mums

Sarah Knapton reports in The Telegraph that Britain's National Health Service will offer non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). The inaccuracies and biases of the report require an update. Continue Reading