Earlier this mother the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that all pregnant women be offered screening for Down syndrome in their unborn babies. The announcement marks a major shift in "prenatal care" and illicited an understanble outcry among pro-lifers and groups that serve individuals with Down syndrome.
George Will, in his exceptional column George Will Golly, What Did Jon Do? explains:
The ACOG guidelines are formally neutral concerning what decisions parents should make on the basis of the information offered. But what is antiseptically called "screening" for Down syndrome is, much more often than not, a search-and-destroy mission: At least 85 percent of pregnancies in which Down syndrome is diagnosed are ended by abortions.Barbara Curtis(MommyLife) posted a press release put out by the National Down Syndrome Congress:
The National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) condemns recent recommendations by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that convey tacit approval for terminating pregnancies where the fetus has Down syndrome.And, Candy Slice and RealChoice suggest the attack on kids with Down Syndrome through abortion will rise beyond its current outrageously high level.
Ive summarized the recent events because of a letter I received from a good friend who has a wonderful child, a son, with Down Syndrome. He writes,
Is there an appropriate way to consider the prenatal testing that the medical society is pushing for? Im regularly reading newspaper articles about how the medical community is demanding that all womens babies be tested for things like Down Syndrome at a much earlier stage in the pregnancyI think before 3 months. While I have nothing against the testing in itself because it could help prepare people for upcoming medical difficulties, the fact remains that people often are much more willing to abort the children when they know it has Downs. Under these circumstances, assuming that Christians do not abort and non-Christians often abort, Im wondering if Christians will soon bear the brunt of higher insurance premiums since they will not abort and insist on taking the risk of having a medically challenged child. Worse yet, some weaker Christians may make the horrible mistake of aborting due to pressures put on them by the medical community when it is determined that they are pregnant w/ a Downs child and the risk level is much higher for the child.In conclusion, while the prenatal testing issue is what caused me to write to you, my underlying concern is that prenatal testing should not be used to confuse or weaken the resolve of any Christian, strong or weak, to become the father or mother of a child w/ Downs Syndrome. To have such a child is a gift from God. A different gift to be sure and one that will probably require more patience, time and yes, even money. Maybe even more tears. For many Americans, such a gift sounds scary and certainly not fun. While I wont say that being a father to a son w/ Downs has been without scary times, I will say thisif raised in a Christian home, a child w/ Downs will show his family a more complete meaning of love and devotion than they have ever imagined.
Imagine if the "gay gene" was identified, and the ACOG was saying that all pregnant women should be screened to see if they're carrying a fetus with that "gay gene," so that women can make an "informed choice". If homosexuality rather than Down Syndrome was being touted as something to screen for and weed out in the womb.
The conservatives would still be appalled. But I wonder if the Lefties would finally learn to recognize the prejudice, intolerance, and elitism inherent in the whole Search and Destroy mentality.
First of all, it is not safe to assume that Christians do not abort, because they do. And also, in response to the above comment, the "gay gene" does not present as much pain or difficulty in life as those with things such as Down Syndrome - which can cause heart disease and respitory disorders.
As someone with a sibling who has Down Syndrome, I find Erin's comments curious. Does AIDS not cause pain or difficulty? Does it not afflict the gay population in higher percentages than, say, the Down Syndrome population. Respitory and heart conditions are potential issues a person with Downs_ might _have to deal with. They are treatable. My sibling with Downs Syndrome has experienced the fair share of challenges, but don't we all in one way or another? As a matter of fact, I have never met a more integrated, happy person in my life.
This is a beautiful story of boy with Down syndrome and his Dad. It had us in tears and has appearantly been viewed over 80,000 times www.GabrielsAngelNetwork.com
I like how some people seem prone to say that children with Downs are a gift from God. I wonder. Are children with Tay-Sachs a gift from God? What about kids born dead? Or, wait, is that a curse from God? Interesting how stillborn babies are not a curse, but Downs kids are a blessing. That's a funny way God works, or is that just some misguided person putting words in God's mouth? Seems to me that Downs is merely a screwup of nature and nothing more. I know a couple who have a child with Downs, and I knew I'd never want a child like that. When my wife's fetus tested positive for Downs we made a decision to abort. We have no regrets.
Children with Downs have just as much right to live as everyother human being. They deserve the protection of the law and deserve not to be murdered in their mother's womb.