I had a friend who's kid had Down Synrome. Funny that a lot of the time it seemed like he was the smart one. We could converse in a real funny way. It was like a comedy team. He never made me feel uncomfortable or anything. NT's are so dark and creepy. Well, even though I absolutely hate rides, I went on a double ferris wheel with him. It was like 90 degrees and he is quite a bit larger than I am. I got squashed for most of the time...lol. Naturally, I got sick when I got off, but it was still funny.
I wonder why there is such a huge prejudice against babies/children with Downs Syndrome. Like AS, it exists in degrees, and the child can be anywhere from very *** to hardly at all. Most seem to do well with extra attention and just tend to learn more slowly than other children.
Often, they have very delightful personalities. I used to see a beautiful young girl with Downs who used to travel on the same bus at me. She had a part time job, too.
I don't think abortion should be allowed if a fetus is found to have a possibility of Downs Syndrome. If the parents really don't want to bring them up, there are people who would like to adopt them. I think medical professionals often paint a really negative picture of their chances in life and this is what sways parents, plus maybe they are worried what others will think if they have a "*** child".
I think it would be a lot more tragic to have a child with haemophilia or muscular dystrophy or severe cerebral palsy but even then, I would have reservations about abortion in those cases.
don't think abortion should be allowed if a fetus is found to have a possibility of Downs Syndrome.
Perfectly normal babies get aborted all the time. I personally am pro-choice. I don't *like* abortion, per se, but I think it does have a place.
As for selective abortions...I have mixed feelings about this. I think it is selfish for parents to abort babies who are the wrong sex, for example. However, if I had a baby that was grossly deformed or had anencephaly (no brain, almost no chance of living), then I would abort it. I do admire the people who go on to have such babies and love them....it's just that I don't think I could do it, and I particularly could not do it while still doing justice to my other children. More factors go into this than people realize, it is not as simple as merely wanting a 'perfect' baby, although that's certainly a factor.
With Down's you have a lot of physical defects in many cases, not only of the intestines but also of the heart. There is the reduced life expectancy. Then there is also the MR, and I know that many do well, but having worked in an agency with MANY Down's clientsI h ave seen soem that would quite frankly have me pulling my hair out and in a mental hosptial within weeks.
So, I hate to say this, but: it is irresponsible for a parent to have a baby that they *know* they cannot love or adequately care for or financially afford to raise. Adoption: if I were pregnant with a Down's baby and there was someone who desperately wanted to raise the child, I probably would consent to that, all other factors being favorable. But just to toss it on the market....for months or years to go by before someone loves it, if ever.....
it's not that my heart is cold, but I would rather have the abortion than to consign any child to a loveless life in an institution.
Autism is somewhat different than Down's. We have a greater life expectancy and a better chance of living independently. Autism has been linked to genius and creativity. Several scientists have remarked that autism may be necessary and vital to the human race. We are much less likely to be born with birth defects that require immediate surgery.
I think that parents, when faced with a "high risk of whatever" test, should be required to watch a video tape with ACCURATE information regarding the conditions tested for. There should be interviews with indepedent Down's or autistic people, there should be ACCURATE stats on severity, they should make an informed decision. In some cases, I do think it would be more merciful for some parents to go ahead and have the abortion.
These are my thoughts for now, off the top of my head. After digesting the matter more, I may revise or change some of my opinions.
chamoisee
I agree with a lot of what you said - I just couldn't express it that way (missing vocabulary).
pro-choice
no baby should be born without being loved or wanted
decision only, if one will know enough about the deficies and gifts that may result from a certain genetic constellation
help for people who have to handle "difficult" babies/children
Sibylle
I think a lot of it is because we live in a very selfish society nowadays and there is not so much tolerance for diversity.
I don't think it's selfish to weigh what you can handle and whether or not you can do justice to a child, whether we are speaking of a neurotypical child or Down's or whatever.
And yes, the ones you have seen probably are pretty independent. You saw them becuase they are not in an institution. You do not see the ones who are institutionalized. I am not saying that the world is worse off or that they shouldn't live....in fact, I admire people who have and love their Down's babies. All I'm saying is that I personally wouldn't be able to guarantee that I could do well by such a child. I had a pretty hard time coping with the ones that I worked with...and several of them were independent or nearly so. That was only for the space of an hour or two usually...so, a whole lifetime of it, starting from scratch....I just don't know. I think I would get extremely frustrated and not be able to give the sort of emotional support, that, IMHO, most of the Down's people I have seen need a lot of. I don't think it would be kind to the child and it would be even harder for me to adequately parent the other kids that I have.
The thing that I would consider worst in life was to either have a dear friend or family member or myself get a horrible type of cancer or other painful incurable disease.
Having a Downs syndrome child wouldn't have come anywhere near the top of my worries. I think a lot of hysteria is whipped up in prospective parents and don't forget, the doctors make a profit from these abortions. They aren't just doing them out of the goodness of their hearts.
But the child isn't given a choice.
I wonder why Downs Syndrome people are picked on just about the most where prenatal testing is concerned. There are far worse disabilities than having Downs Syndrome.
Maybe those kids weren't so well cared for or something. I've seen some really sweet Downs Syndrome ladies on the bus.
I know, but that is probably a part of their slightly impaired intellectual functioning. I don't see how we can condone genocide against a particular group of people simply because they are mentally *** and look a bit different. We wouldn't like it if autistic babies were selectively terminated.
People will keep on voting in bad governments because there seems to be no others to pick from.
Actually, I've read that a number of studies suggest that women who have had one or more abortions are more likely to batter subsequent children. Also, most battered children start out being wanted but for various reasons eg. difficult temperament, parents having money and housing and employment problems, desertion of one parent, they become a burden in the eyes of their parents.
Yes, these histrionic arguments are hardly new. In fact, all of these arguments I've seen in favour of abortion are hackneyed and tendentious to the extreme. There is no real substance to them once you peel away the rhetoric and hysteria.
What happened in my family. My sister was pregnant and I guess all her tests were ok since I never heard anything (but some people never tell anyway). When she was 6 1/2 months pregnant she was in a car accident and had to deliver by cesarian. My nephew is now 4 years old, deaf and with some learning problems: delayed speech and all I do not know due to the collision. My sister broke her pelvis and the premie was black and blue. Yet we still love this child. We deal with his problems.
There is a prejudice that people have more sympathy to someone who has a disability due to an accident than due to just genetics. They do not have sympathy for something that can be prevented but only for what they pity and can blame someone else for causing. That is why I think so many parents would like to blame vaccinations on causing autism rather than just trying to accept diversity.
Yes well, I note that TB has come back with a vengeance in some places as antibiotic resistant strains have developed.