Physicians' attitudes regarding Down syndrome.

We conducted a representative survey to obtain current information about attitudes of pediatricians, child neurologists, and pediatric surgeons in Hungary regarding Down syndrome. The findings are compared to those of a similar study from Canada. In the treatment of mentally handicapped newborns, none of the Hungarian doctors would choose active euthanasia; only a few percent would perform passive euthanasia. Hungarian doctors give priority to the hospital-based ethical committee in the decision-making process regarding the treatment versus nontreatment of a newborn with major congenital anomalies. In contrast to the Canadians, only a few doctors would discuss this question with parents and nurses. Most Hungarian physicians are not aware of legal regulations in this field. These attitudes can be explained by religious and cultural traditions different from the Canadian and Western European standards. The Hungarian medical community, like other Eastern European countries, is much more authoritative than the Canadian system. Furthermore, the appropriate legal regulations are not yet properly codified.