Deciding Not to Screen for Down Syndrome

Try to remember the last time you saw a person with Down's Syndrome. It has been awhile for me. Twenty-five years ago I remember seeing many more people with Down's.

Nine out of ten today are "terminated" in the womb.  If we could agree that these children are actual persons (they are), we would call this a holocaust on this group of people.  The things that happen behind closed, silent, clinical doors would make your skin boil if you had the chance to witness it in person.

In the New York Times there is an interesting article by Amy Julia Becker called, "Deciding Not to Screen for Down Syndrome".  I would commend it to you.  Here is her conclusion:

Many people within our culture, and particularly those within the medical establishment, think that Down syndrome is a burden. Even pro-life advocates talk about those who “suffer” from Down syndrome. With language of suffering and lists of problems, it is no wonder that women abort when faced with the news that their child has an extra 21st chromosome. And yet this automatic assumption that Down syndrome brings with it only tragedy belies the studies that demonstrate the positive impact children with Down syndrome have within their families, the ever-increasing potential for learning and participation in community life, and the testimonies of adults with Down syndrome that theirs is a life worth living.

Even as maternal age increases, the incidence of children born with Down syndrome is decreasing. Studies show that 85 percent to 90 percent of women with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pregnancies. We declined prenatal testing not because we assume this baby in my womb has the typical 46 chromosomes. We declined prenatal testing because we would welcome another child with Down syndrome.

Read the rest.

(HT:  Jill Stanek)