STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain information regarding Down syndrome be provided to certain parents and families.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning Down syndrome and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Health shall make available to any person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling of parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome the following: (1) up-to-date, evidence-based, written information about Down syndrome that has been reviewed by medical experts and national Down syndrome organizations, including physical developmental, educational, and psychosocial outcomes: (2) life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options; and (3) contact information regarding telephone and online assistance and support services, including information hotlines specific to Down syndrome, resource centers or clearinghouses, and other education and support programs. The department may also make such information available to any other person who has received a positive test result from a test for Down syndrome.
b. Information provided under this section shall be culturally and linguistically appropriate for women receiving a positive prenatal diagnosis or for the family of a child receiving a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Department of Health to make available to any person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling of parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome the following: (1) up-to-date, evidence-based, written information about Down syndrome that has been reviewed by medical experts and national Down syndrome organizations, including physical developmental, educational, and psychosocial outcomes; (2) life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options; and (3) contact information regarding telephone and online assistance and support services, including information hotlines specific to Down syndrome, resource centers or clearinghouses, and other education and support programs. The department may also make such information available to any other person who has received a positive test result from a test for Down syndrome. The bill requires that the information be culturally and linguistically appropriate for women receiving a positive prenatal diagnosis or for the family of a child receiving a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.