The Late-Term Abortion I Didn't Want

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Molly Jong-Fast, The Late-Term Abortion I Didn't Want; My baby was at risk for a terminal disease, and test results wouldn't come in until the second trimester. Wall Street Journal, Nov 27, 2018 (op-ed).
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the ... dnt-want-1543276878

Note:
(a) Canavan disease was first described in 1931 by Myrtelle Canavan (1879 – 1953; an American female pathologist). Wikipedia.
(b) Canavan Disease. Genetic Home Reference, undated.
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/canavan-disease

Quote:

Description: "This disease is one of a group of genetic disorders called leukodystrophies. Leukodystrophies disrupt the growth or maintenance of the myelin sheath, which is the covering that protects nerves and promotes the efficient transmission of nerve impulses.

Causes: "Mutations in the ASPA gene cause Canavan disease. The ASPA gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called aspartoacylase. This enzyme normally breaks down a compound called N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid (NAA), which is predominantly found in neurons in the brain. The function of NAA is unclear.

Note: ASAP stands for "acetyl-ASPartic deaminase, Acylase II" --another name of aspartoacylase.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartoacylase
("is a hydrolase enzyme responsible for catalyzing the deacylation [removal of acyl, here acetyl] of N-acetyl-l-aspartate (N-acetylaspartate, NAA) into aspartate and acetate")

acetic acid CH3-COOH
acetyl  CH3-CO-
socium acetate CH3-COO (with a negative charge, in superscript)/ Na+