Rep. Linda Kochmar’s bill on Down Syndrome would prepare pregnant women

January 22, 2016

One in every 691 babies in the this country is born with Down Syndrome.  But when faced with the news, many pregnant women need information, and have few places to turn.  One Washington lawmaker is determined to change that.  Ruth Johnson reports from Olympia.

Johnson:  Linda Kochmar of Federal Way has introduced a bill that would alleviate the fear for pregnant women, who've just receive the news their baby will be born with Down Syndrome.  Much of the fear, she says, comes from a lack of understanding.

Kochmar: “You can get on the Internet and you can google your heart out and not really get accurate information, so my bill would provide accurate information in the form of a pamphlet, information that's been approved by the ADA.”

Johnson: Kochmar, a Republican, says accurate information is power, and a woman who is informed is less afraid.  Down Syndrome is the most common of genetic conditions.  About six-thousand babies with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year.

Ruth Johnson, Olympia.