November 3, 2009 8:48 AM
Down syndrome and abortion - are we missing something?
Down Syndrome Births Are Down in U.S.
More Than 90 Percent of Women Carrying a Child With Down Syndrome Choose to End Their Pregnancies, but Parents Raising These Kids Say They're a 'Gift'
After prenatal testing, Boston filmmaker Melanie McLaughlin faced the likelihood that her 12-week-old fetus had Down syndrome, or a heart defect.
Melanie McLaughlin, a Boston documentary filmmaker, decided to continue with her pregnancy after...(Courtesy Melanie McLaughlin)She prayed for the heart defect.
Grace, now 2, was born with both: trisomy 21, or Down syndrome, and holes in all four chambers of her heart, which were repaired shortly after birth.
"I fell in love with her and handed her over to the doctor for surgery not knowing if I would get her back," McLaughlin said. "I was swearing to the powers to be that I didn't mean it, I was OK with the Down syndrome."
McLaughlin said she realized what a "horrible wish" she had made for her child.
"I was so naive, with no experience with anyone with Down syndrome," she said. "I got a huge education about that later."
"An estimated 92 percent of all women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pregnancies, according to research reviewed by Dr. Brian Skotko, a pediatric geneticist at Children's Hospital Boston.
Read more at ABC News
HT Cam
Posted in Disabilities, Down syndrome, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink
Comments
Reading the comments on that article last night really got me discouraged. They make me feel guilty for being horrified by that statistic (or by the thought that any mother would choose to terminate their baby based on any test result or assumed disease). There were many assertions of "you never know what YOU would do if faced with that prognosis".
But on the contrary, I *do* know what I'd do. During both of my pregnancies, I faced pressure to have those prenatal genetic tests done. Both times, I refused, stating that I had no reason to find out about any "problem" ahead of time, because it would make no difference to me what the outcome was...I would be having my baby, healthy or "not healthy". I think I was in the minority, though; I don't personally know of another woman who denied those tests. :(
Posted by: cam | November 3, 2009 11:59 AM
I also had no tests while pregnant , and I received a lot of pressure to do so when I was pregnant with my second baby at age 39, I was surprized 2 years ago when my sister at age 43 refused all tests also ,she is NOT pro life at all . She simply said Life is messy.
Posted by: Karen | November 3, 2009 1:50 PM
Although I have no risk factors that would have indicated a recommendation for prenatal testing, the nurse at my OB's office kept pushing at me to get it done when I was pregnant with my son. I finally just told her I'd think about it to make her go away and told my Dr. that I have no desire to know anything other than the sex (that was hubby's idea, not mine). That was the end of the prenatal testing discussion because the Dr. respected my wishes. If he hadn't, I would have found another Dr. I don't see any reason to have testing done, I'm sure I'd spend the rest of the pregnancy worrying.
Posted by: CourageousGrace | November 3, 2009 2:24 PM
