“In the 1960s, we were told that legal abortion would be a rare tragic act in cases of exceptional hardship. In the ‘70s abortion began to be both decried and accepted as birth control. In the ‘80s respected geneticists pointed out that it was cheaper to hunt for and abort Down’s babies than to raise them. By the ‘90s that observation had been widely put into action. Now we are refining and extending our eugenic vision, with new tests and abortion as our central tools.”
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http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=37421&print=on
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8 comments:
The thought that 90% of babies with Down's Syndrome is horrifying!
Once the new prenatal testing becomes available, this percentage is sure to rise.
It is the doctors who need to be educated on the facts. picture this...have a nation-wide sit-in where people of any age with DS and their parent or guardian sit in each of the OB-GYN waiting rooms across the country all on the same day! That would get some attention! Unfortunately, there probably aren't enough people to do the sit-in.
Doctors need to know! People need to know.
I can appreciate how you feel. I, however, would not willingly bring a Down's Syndrome baby to term.
Like abortion in general, I believe that this is a purely personal choice.
I agree with Alex. Though I would also say that if I did carry a child to full term only to find out that it had DS, I would most likely give it up for adoption. They have no quality of life and they are a financial burden. My husband and I have plans that a DS would eliminate if we kept it.I want a child that I can love, not one that would be a burden and an inconvenience. Sounds harsh, but its honestly how I feel.
Hi delta9. Thank you for sharing your opinion. It is a popular view about Downs Syndrome.
I, myself, shared a similar view about the financial burden and the imposition on my future plans with my husband...although not to the extent that I would abort or put up my child for adoption.
Just short of 2 years ago, I gave birth to a baby girl with DS. I was shocked. I felt..."why me?" At the time, if someone would have said I had the option to exchange her for another "typical" baby girl, I think I would have.
But it was through her difficult start that our community pitched in and carried our family through hard times. Our town literally fed us for two months while we travelled for medical care.
Yes, it was hard, I was angry....this is the part of the story of DS that most people know...the pain, the sorrow, the shock.... BUT...after resolving the critical health issues...which didn't take long...what I found on the other side of my dark tunnel is a peaceful JOY and happiness that cannot be described. Our daughter has completed our family in a way that is hard to understand if you don't know her. Yes, we had a loving family before she was born. yes we were happy before she was born, but she has added a beautiful dimension to our lives that I could have never imagined....and yes, if I had the choice to redo the past 2-3 years of my life, I WOULD have her all over again. I wouldn't change a thing. It was through her that I became a stronger, better person.
This is the part of the DS story that most people don't know. She is not a financial burden at all. There are many services and resources available, and they are not difficult to find.
I commend you on your adoption idea. If anyone thinks they cannot handle the responsibility of raising one of these beautiful people, there is a waiting list of people who actually want to adopt a child with DS. These people have seen the joy these individuals share.
One final thought...there are many people with DS who live indepentently and work in the community. The resources available now versus not so long ago have made it very possible for this to happen. So, DS isn't as bad as people think.
Will you stop loving your child if your child develops cancer and requires extensive, and expensive, care? Will you give your child up for adoption if she is in an accident that leaves her paralyzed, and she becomes a "financial burden?" What ignorance!
My beautiful daughter, Amalia, will be 3 next month, and she has Down Syndrome. She is the most fantastic thing that has ever happened to me! Amalia is beautiful, energetic, and happy. She enjoys life and lives it to the fullest each day. She plays with her toys until the very last minute before bed time. Amalia loves to sing and dance. She enjoys books, and coloring and drawing. She even likes to clean!! She has great time splashing in her tub, or in the pool. She visits the Children's Museum and runs from room to room with the other children. Amalia plays with friends, playing ball, jumping, running, clapping, singing, dancing, laughing, chasing... Hmmmm...I'm still trying to figure out where she has "no quality of life." Ah, well, once again, we see ignorance on the part of those who believe individuals with DS have no quality of life.
And, for those who want a child they can love, and a child with DS is not worthy of their love, it doesn't seem any child would be worthy of your love.
Sometimes it takes Amalia more than one try to master a task. Do you learn and get everything right the first time?? I bet not. Case in point, this is my 3rd time trying to leave my comment:) I hope it works this time...
Im happy that you made a choice that worked out for you. The focus of that sentence being choice. Im simply not going to alter my plans and intentions for something in the womb that is not legally a life. I have every right to choose for myself a path that leads to my happiness. My right to choose trumps other peoples subjective morality.
An accident or serious illness is one thing. Genetic abnormalities of an unviable mass of nothingness is another. I should not have to carry, in my body, something to full term that interferes with my life. If I don’t want to. I have to go with the medical and scientific establishment when they say that it is not a life unless it is 100% outside of a womans body. Doctors swear to do no harm so I think Im safe there. If for some reason I did have a child that had DS, I would give it up for adoption. So that the child could be cared for, by someone who doesnt mind a kid with DS. But,we should do everything to prevent the drain on society and its individuals that DS represents. I think this is partially why my Democrats are doing so well now. People have realized that peoples personal choices and happiness should not be infringed on by people who have a differing set of beliefs.
It is unfortunate that you feel this way because they are not a drain on society...they add a joyful dimension that cannot be described. It is not pity..it is a pure and innocent joy that takes away the worries of the day. When my daughter looks at me, it is as though God is looking at me with His wise simplicity.
As far as a baby not being human until 100% outside of the uterus, well, that doesn't make sense. If a fetus at 28 weeks gestation in utero is not human, how can you explain that a baby born prematurely at 28 weeks and lays in an incubator is human? What is the difference? Check out www.michaelclancy.com
I believe the only difference is in the opinion of the mother making the choice.It has nothing to do with the baby at all. Too many people place their own goals and aspirations ahead of what God may have planned for them. It is sad because there is so much more joy and happiness when we are open to selfless giving. This is a joy that our own earthly goals and aspirations can NEVER compare with
It is unfortunate that you equate a child with DS with an infringement on your happiness. My purpose is to educate you. And, I am quite certain the medical and science establishments are not in 100% agreement that life begins outside the womb.
If you find yourself expecting, I can only pray you will experience the beauty that is life in the womb.
If you find yourself expecting, you won't feel fear when something just doesn't feel quite right. You won't feel joy at the first flutter in your belly. You won't shed any tears when you hear your baby's heartbeat for the very first time. You won't celebrate when you see your baby's image on the sonogram. You won't feel overwhelming love for the life you have created, growing within you. You won't breathe and live for that life until it is out of your womb, because, after all, you don't believe life begins until the baby is out of your womb.
I didn't choose a baby with DS. God chose me. When she was born, I was scared; because I was ignorant. But, I never wished her away, and I never wished for another baby. I wanted the one I had loved from the second I found out I was pregnant. And, she has far surpassed all of my expectations.
I'm not sure which society you are living in, but I can assure you the individuals I know with DS are not a drain on society. The murderers, the rapists, the child molesters, these individuals are a drain on society. They are the burden.
I hope if you have a baby, for the sake of that child, he or she meets all of your expectations. I hope he or she is as perfect as you need it to be, so as not to infringe on your happiness, or interfere with your plans. My child (and any others I may have) completes my happiness. I had not "planned" on a baby with DS. But, I don't get to make that choice, and I'm thankful God made it for me, and showed me how wondrous life truly is.
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