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Selective Abortion for Down Syndrome: The Relation Between the Quality of Intergroup Contact, Parenting Expectations, and Willingness to Terminate
Author(s) -
Lawson Karen L.,
WallsIngram Sheena A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00587.x
Subject(s) - psychology , abortion , abort , certainty , perception , social psychology , developmental psychology , quality (philosophy) , clinical psychology , pregnancy , philosophy , genetics , epistemology , neuroscience , computer science , biology , operating system
This study examines the links between familiarity with individuals with Down syndrome (DS), perceptions of parenting a child with DS, and willingness to consider selective termination subsequent to a fetal diagnosis of DS. Within a sample of childless young adults ( N = 280), those reporting personal familiarity indicated both more positive attitudes toward parenting a child with DS and more certainty that they would not abort following a prenatal diagnosis. In further support of contact theory, the quality of the past intergroup interactions moderated these findings. The potential role of negative stereotypes in selective‐abortion decision making and implications for prenatal counseling protocols are discussed.