The Abortion Debate No One Wants to Have

A mother of a Down Syndrome daughter writes in the Washington Post:

Margaret's old pediatrician tells me that years ago he used to have a steady stream of patients with Down syndrome. Not anymore. Where did they go, I wonder. On the west side of L.A., they aren't being born anymore, he says.

Some estimates are as high as 80-90% of Down Syndrome pregnancies are terminated.

To them, Margaret falls into the category of avoidable human suffering. At best, a tragic mistake. At worst, a living embodiment of the pro-life movement. Less than human. A drain on society. That someone I love is regarded this way is unspeakably painful to me.

This view is probably particularly pronounced here in blue-state California, but I keep finding it everywhere, from academia on down. At a dinner party not long ago, I was seated next to the director of an Ivy League ethics program. In answer to another guest's question, he said he believes that prospective parents have a moral obligation to undergo prenatal testing and to terminate their pregnancy to avoid bringing forth a child with a disability, because it was immoral to subject a child to the kind of suffering he or she would have to endure.

What does it say about our society that we not only deem it acceptable but "moral" to deny life to those with disabilities?  How do we explain it to our children? 

"Well, honey, your brother/sister had problems the doctors couldn't fix."

And when they ask, "But, Mom, what if I get problems the doctor can't fix?"

Comments

[Uncle Ben]

It's very sad that taking innocent life is viewed by some as the moral thing to do. All of us are messed up somehow. Demanding perfection from the unborn is horrible.

[DrJonz]

Today's moms can play Hitler, but Gattaca is our future.

[anonymous]

Something you might want to look at, is the Teen Endangerment Act. This was voted on by the House of Representatives voted to restrict a teenager's ability to obtain an abortion in a state where she do not reside if she does not first comply with a complex system of parental notification mandates. This legislation endangers young women's health and force teens to get "back ally abortions", or abortions with coat hangers or other unsantitary means. i disagree with abortion, but abortions will happen, whether they are illegal or not

[mlp]

These people pretend to be speaking morally, but they are spouting the exact same philosophy as the Nazi's espoused. The logic that it is somehow morally superior to kill a person than allow them to live a difficult life is sickness and evil, dressed up as beauty and goodness. The truth is that none of these people want to deal with difficulties, even when those "difficulties" are not theirs, or in fact, are non existant. It's frightening, not so much because some folks are willing to erase from society everyone who doesn't fit their standards, but because so many of us don't speak up on behalf of what is right.
Keep up the good work.
MLP

[Sandy]

Dear Anonymous,

Let me highlight the fallacy in your argument.

"I disagree with murder, but murders will happen, whether they are illegal or not."

So, should we make murder legal? I vote no.