§ 22 §1642 — Down syndrome

The department shall establish, maintain and operate an information service for Down syndrome. For the purposes of this section, "Down syndrome" means a chromosomal condition caused by an error in cell division that results in the presence of an extra whole or partial copy of chromosome 21.
1.
Expectant or new parent; others.
A hospital, physician, health care provider or certified nurse midwife who renders prenatal care or postnatal care or a genetic counselor who renders prenatal or postnatal genetic counseling shall, upon receipt of a positive test result from a prenatal or postnatal test for Down syndrome, offer the expectant or new parent information provided by the department under subsection 2. The department shall also make such information available to any other person who has received a positive test result from a prenatal or postnatal test for Down syndrome.
2.
Information provided.
The department shall make available to a person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care or genetic counseling to expectant or new parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome the following:
3.
Accessibility of information.
Information provided under this section must be culturally and linguistically appropriate for a person receiving a positive prenatal diagnosis and for the family of a child receiving a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Legislative History

PL 2015, c. 269, §1 (NEW).