BlogHer - Down Syndrome: An Abortion Controversy - Comments

Interesting

CrazyKiwi — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:13:54 -0500

As a parent of a special needs child I find it interesting when there is any discussion about whether children should be born if it is known prior to birth that they will have a genetic disorder. While I appreciate that people who have never had contact with a special needs child the prospect of what the birth of that child will do to your life may be extremely daunting I think it is important to consider what the child is still capable of doing, rather than what they are unable to do.

My Son has a syndrome that is relatively unknown and there is no difinitive test for, so his diagnosis is not 100% and honestly I have my doubts. He goes to school and is in a special education pre school class. His best friend in class is a little girl who has down syndrome. I had never had such direct contact with a child with Downs before, and I am extremely impressed on how bright and active she is. This little girl is barely 4 years old and functions at a higher level than my child who is almost 5 years old. We can never really compare the development of special needs children as they vary even more greatly than "normal" children do. However I must say that this little girl has an interest in the computer in the class room, she knows what the mouse does, she can identify colors and many other items. She is shy and doesnt show her verbal skills very often, but I know she can do it. She has a great attraction for my little boy who is unable to walk, talk or do much of anything. This little darling girl will offer him is drink cup at lunch time, wipe his mouth with a napkin and takes care of him so lovingly. To imangine that this angel would possibly have been lost from this world and many others like her is a sad thought considering how precious she is. I never look at her and think about what she cannot do, just watch in amazement at how she has totally defied what other people see in how she is different and acts like a "normal" little girl who just has some extra challenges.

Just after my son was born - who we did not have prior notice of his difficulties until after his birth. I had a visit from an aquantance. She was pregnant, but shared with me that the year previous she had had a termination because the downs test was positive. This dove me into deep thought on the subject. Prior to having a special needs child I always thought I could never cope with a child that was different and hoped that it would never happen to me. It did.. and I would be lost without my little guy. There is no way that I could ever say life is easy cause it is not, every day poses a different challenge but at the same time even the smallest acheivements are a huge celebration.

Thank you Jennifer.

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:36:04 -0500

Thank you Jennifer.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election<

Thank you for this

jennifergrafgroneberg — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:11:00 -0500

Thank you for this thoughtful and thorough post...you've referenced some of my very favorite bloggers! And you've hit all the main points of the conversation, too...

One thought I'd like to add is that I believe most of us who have kids with DS feel that our lives as their parents are often misunderstood. Our kids are capable of much more, and achieve much more, than what the public commonly assumes.

Too, many of our children are born without any major medical issues. The insurance concern is real, for all kids, but perhaps not especially for kids with DS. And all states have programs that are free to parents to support the early growth and development of babies and toddlers with DS.

Certainly, as with all children, parenthood is challenging. But too, full of immeasurable rewards. I think most parents of kids with DS will tell you this is true for us, too.

Jennifer Graf Groneberg

Road Map to Holland (NAL/Penguin, 2008)

www.jennifergrafgroneberg.com

Thanks for your comment, I agree.

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:06:18 -0500

Thanks for your comment, I totally agree with you.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election<

choice, not extremes

ladybonbons — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:58:16 -0500

What bothers me about the Down Syndrome baby or not debate is that the viewpoints are so extreme. I do not see how, from believing that individuals should be supported in their choice to have or not to have a baby with Down Syndrome, it follows directly that one supports eugenics and the weeding out of the gene pool every person who can be perceived as imperfect by some random set of criteria. Those two things are not the same by any stretch of the imagination. Having the choice not to have a baby also does not mean you want to force others not to have them either.

One problem is that there is no way to know how mild or how severe a Down
Syndrome fetus's disabilities will be except a while after he or she is born. However, I think the issue has less to do with the practical realities of raising a child who will need, potentially, a lot of resources to have a good life. (Although - what if (like me) you only have yourself and your spouse to rely on for any form of care (we have no relatives who could pitch in even with a few hours of babysitting, now or in the future), and what if your health insurance is somewhat iffy because (like my husband and I) you do not have the kinds of jobs that come with benefits?) One does not have children for practical reasons but in order to love them. And if someone does not believe she'd be able to love the child she's carrying, or that she should be forced to continue with a pregnancy in spite of herself, then she should have the choice to abort the pregnancy without being judged for her honesty.

That said, health insurance and tax-funded resources and assistance really need to be expanded for people with Down Syndrome or any other disability, right along with the rest of us. Because you know, choice means supporting other people in their choices even if they're different from mine. I would very much like the government to please take my money for that purpose, it would be a much better use for it than a lot of other things my tax dollars have been funding lately.

Down Syndrome: An Abortion Controversy

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:59:16 -0500

My kids are 17 and 14, so it was quite a long time ago, but I do remember going to one of my first prenatal visits. I remember being asked if I wanted to have a blood test that could detect the possibility of Down Syndrome in my baby. Since the doctor formed this question in a way that made me think that the decision about having this test was up to me, I naively answered.

My first response was to say, that I didn't think it would be necessary. As a nurse, I knew that this test was very unreliable, and that even if it came back positive, it could only be confirmed with an amniocentesis later in the pregnancy. After having several miscarriages, I was not willing to consider having an amnio (and risking my pregnancy), just to confirm the results of an unreliable blood test.

To my surprise, the doctor didn't seem to think opting out of this blood test was actually a viable option. And, as a young woman, I was easily manipulated into doing what the doctor deemed best, and I did have the test. Thankfully, the test was negative, and I didn't have to give it anymore thought.

I decided to do today's post on Down Syndrome, after reading a personal story by Anita S. Lane from Unconventional Politics. Here is an excerpt...

The latest research shows that the number of babies born with Down Syndrome is declining. What could possibly be the reason for this decline? Is it scientific advancement? Is it something different in parents or the environment? To what should we attribute this phenomenon?

We can attribute this phenomenon to the words, “No thanks, I’ll pass.” Or put more bluntly, abortion…and our society’s Perfect People Patrol mentality. Don’t stop here because I mentioned the “A” word. The rest is worth reading…

According to hospital studies, about 90% of women in the U.S. whose babies are diagnosed with Down Syndrome, terminate their pregnancies. (PubMed.gov) And while only pregnant women 35 and older have traditionally been tested to determine if their unborn child has Down syndrome, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, now recommends that all pregnant women, regardless of age, be routinely tested.

In the UK, British women are increasingly “eliminating their unborn children because of non life-threatening deformities such as deformed feet or cleft lips and palates” and “more Down's Syndrome babies are now killed than are allowed to be born.” (LifeSiteNews.com)

When I first learned of these statistics I didn’t believe them. The numbers were staggering. “It couldn’t be true. It must be a misprint,” I thought. But I was very wrong.

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month…

I would like you to actually add a comment. Now, I am well aware that maybe NOBODY ever reads our blog, but I like to think at least there are a few.

What should I comment about?

I would like you to ask anything you want about Down syndrome.

From McKenna at The Mom Crowd...

My daughter has Down syndrome, but that is a very small part of who she is. My daughter is a very unique, original little girl with her own personality. She has the persistence of a mule (and of her mother), my blonde hair and my father’s hazel eyes. She has short stubby toes like my sister and mother and has very straight fine hair like my husband and his family. She loves music almost more than Barney and prefers chocolate milk over apple juice. She is the best big sister in the world, until her baby brother takes a toy that she wants.

Are there things I go through that other mothers don’t have to – yes. Are there things my daughter goes through that other little girls don’t have to go through – yes. Do I worry about my little girl- what mother doesn’t?

From Finnian's Journey: Ups and Downs...

I am a 41-year-old, married to my best friend, stay-home mother of 6 children: Kevin (11), Joey (6), twins, Annabelle and Daisy (4), Lilah(2), and Finnian, born in July 2008 and diagnosed with Down syndrome.

. . .

There are days when I feel like I've gotten over some major hump in dealing with this whole DS thing, that I've made some major strides in acceptance and making peace with it, and that the darkest hours are behind me.

Today is not one of those days.

Today I find myself fighting the tears (again). When I wake up each morning, I never know if it's going to be a good day or a bad day. I guess nobody knows that when they wake up, but ever since Finn was born, I seem to be much more aware of the unpredictibility of my feelings.

From Gabi's World...

The National Down Syndrome Congress has started a "More Alike Than Different" campaign. One of their promotional items is the use of people with Down syndrome in commercials showing how much they are just like everyone else. There are some English and some Spanish commercials that I hope will make it to stations everywhere. Click here to see the list of links to each video and be sure to check out Mark who is from our local Down syndrome group. Mark is a greeter at our local WalMart, and he was so proud as his video was shown in our open house for our local Down syndrome group. The video we seen actually had clips from their everyday lives. I love how excited he got when his dog was shown on the television. "That's my dog! That's my dog right there!"

Down Syndrome is not just a personal and family issue. There is a political aspect to Down Syndrome as well.

All 4 My Gals...

Because 90 percent of children prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted, a former Republican presidential candidate is urging Congress to do its part to help reverse that trend.

Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) recently took a request to the Senate floor and asked for consent that the Senate consider his "Pre-Natally and Post-Natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act."

The legislation, co-sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), would require that families who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other condition -- prenatally or up until a year after birth -- will be given current information about the condition and access to a registry of people who are willing to adopt children with Down syndrome.

From BlogHer - Election '08: Will Health Care Plans Deny Coverage To The Most Vulnerable?

As a mother of a special needs child, I worry about the outcome of the election in November. At the RNC the VP candidate Sarah Palin, mother of 4-month-old Trig, born with Down syndrome, promised voters she has a place in her heart for all special needs children, yet with the McCain health care plan too many special needs children with chronic illness will fall between the cracks. It's just a piece of plastic, but the health insurance card you carry in your wallet can mean the difference between getting adequate health care for your family and getting denied appropriate health care. That's why the upcoming election is vital. Here's my concern: If you vote for McCain, let's hope your family stays healthy or only gets "moderately" sick. But good luck if you or your children have a pre-existing condition like a chronic illness, cancer or severe food allergies because then you risk getting denied coverage. If you vote for McCain, then you better be rich enough to afford top-notch private health insurance.

McCain's solution to the health care crisis: tax rebates. Wow! Talk about blind faith in the free market. His plan might work for some of us, but what happens to the poorest people who won't benefit from McCain's $5000 family tax rebate because they don't pay $5000 in taxes?

Even more controversial...

Heera from BlogHer wrote - Do You Support Giving Birth To A Child With Down Syndrome?

It is likely that by the time I settle down with a life partner, I will be creeping close to ceiling age limits for having a child. My biggest fear then would be what if the docs fail to detect issues in pregnancy that could possibly lead to a child with genetic issues? Now I know that life can serve you many things… including becoming disabled later in life even if you are born healthy… I am ok dealing with that, but I am just not ok dealing with knowingly bringing out someone who may not have a complete life.

But my strong opinion here were shaken a little bit recently to the point of almost. I recently posted this opinion on Minekey, a place for you to post your opinions and get instant feedback from the community (controversial opinion certainly get more limelight!). My opinion was “I do not support giving birth to a child with Down's Syndrome. He/she will never have a normal independent life anyway.” I got 450 votes and 38% disagreed with it with some very strong comments here… many people who commented on this board had indeed worked with children with Down’s Syndrome and spoke form experience – and talked about how much potential these children have.

What do you think about this issue? Let me know in comments.

Also See...

A mom makes a video of her 4 year old daughter with Down Syndrome snuggling before bed, singing and signing one of her favorite goodnight songs. When I first learned of her diagnosis, I wanted to see what to expect and I couldn't really find anything. This is for you who just learned of the diagnosis. It's good. The future - your future - is good.

National Down Syndrome Society

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election