August 16, 1968

Mrs. Sargent Shriver
The American Embassy
Paris, France

Dear Mrs. Shriver:

A paper has recently appeared in Nature=that discusses an important
concept that relates contemporary Vatican policy on birth control

as a possible factor in the incidence of Downs Syndrome. My intention
is not to prod into an area of religious controversy but to help be
sure that the widest possible information becomes available for
deliberations on policy in this area.

Dr. Welch points out that failures in the application of the rbyhim

method, and there are abundant statistics on such failures, would

be specifically associated with pregnancies initiated by either

irregular ovulation or by the fertilization of eggs delayed beyond

their normal expectation. This might be used as an argument that even

the rhythm method is hardly free from the critisism of being an interference
with the normal course of nature.

The statistics that Dr. Welch quotes that mfght relate these practices
to the actual incidence of mongolism are far from convincing. Mainly
they point to the urgency of additional research on such statistics.
The cooperation of the Church might be invaluable for mounting these
kinds of studies.

In particular I do not know to what extent these statistical studies
done so far take account of the rapidly increasing frequency of this
form of mental retardation with the age of the mother. It is obvious
that any imperfect method of birth control will increase the frequency
of motherhood at advanced age. This in itself is a potential hazard to
the quality of offspring that needs no further statistical documentation.

I write to you on the asumption that you may be in touch with ecclesiastical
groups who should be aware of this kind of information.

Dr. Welch's article has what I would regard as a nonsensical discussion
on the relationship of multiple marriage to the Downs Symdrome. Again
I do not know how well the factor of maternal age has been considered.

YAMS
Mrs. Shriver
Page 2
August 16, 1968

If this is carefully equalized then there would reasin very large
considerations of the emotional and physiological health of the

parents in question that I would want to see analyzed before undertaking
the kinds of speculations that Dr. Welch has brought in here. I

hope that this rather shakey paragraph does not detract from the
self-evident relevence of the rest of his discussion.

T have left unspoken my sense of commiseration with you and yours
about events of the last few months. I am sure you know that this
is hardly for lack of feeling and rather that I just do not know
what I could add to all that has already been said. I do hope that
your husband and your brother will continue the good fight.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg,
Professor of Genetics

JL/gem