Abortion

Congenital anomalies are also known as birth defects, congenital disorders or congenital malformations. Congenital anomalies can be defined as structural or functional anomalies, including metabolic disorders, which are present at the time of birth. Congenital anomalies (also referred as birth defects) affect approximately 1 in 33 infants and result in approximately 3.2 million birth defect-related disabilities every year. An estimated 270 000 newborns die during the first 28 days of life every year from congenital anomalies. In countries with well-established health services, structural birth defects can be corrected with pediatric surgery and early treatment can be administered to children with functional problems. In case they cannot be treated, congenital anomalies may result in long-term disability, which may have significant impacts on individuals, families, health-care systems and societies. Normative tools should be developed, including guidelines and a global plan of action, to strengthen medical care and rehabilitation services to support the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is crucial that countries integrate medical care and rehabilitation services into overall primary health care, support the development of community-based rehabilitation programs and facilitate the strengthening of specialized rehabilitation centers and their links with community-based rehabilitation. Moreover, NGOs have to work hand in hand with the government to focus on ways to help the families who have one or more of their member with disabilities, hence the economical burdens. Treatment of birth defects depends on the level of health care available. collectively, congenital anomalies represent an important public health issue in terms of impact on: fetal and infant mortality and associated emotional costs to the family, quality of life of affected children, adults and their families, financial cost of prenatal screening in the population and its psychological cost to pregnant women, financial cost and quality of medical, social and educational services to improve social participation of affected individuals. With appropriate training, primary health-care practitioners can offer basic care for children with birth defects. They are able to recognize birth defects, diagnose common problems and identify associated disabilities, which in turn enables them to offer basic treatment and counseling, taking into account family and community circumstances and available medical services. Referral to specialist advice is considered when diagnosis is not possible at the primary health-care level. These major steps don"t come for free; not free of payment nor free of troubles and worries. Basic components of a national program for the prevention and care of birth defects, which definitely is in need of significant funds, include: a core network of appropriate specialist clinical and laboratory services that can be expanded in response to demand; education and training for health-care providers, particularly those in primary health care; organization of health-education programs for the general population and recognized high-risk groups; establishment of appropriate surveillance systems for birth defects. Let"s not forget the state of mind of the parents who are continuously thinking about the reasons their child is suffering and how to help him. In order to prevent all these burdens, abortion should be allowed in the case of congenital anomalies. The question in hand is how to determine if the disability is worth the decision of the abortion or not. Doctors can detect whether the anomaly is going to engender constant suffering and illness with the help of countless experiences. In case it does, abortion is needed. Would you rather see your child live a life of agony and unbearable pain or would you rather take the decision to liberate him from predicted soreness? Only a heartless person would choose misery for his infant. http://www.who.int... http://apps.who.int...