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The end of Down syndrome

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by YankeeFan, Nov 13, 2011.

  1. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    It may be an advancement, but it still saddens me.

     
  2. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    It won't mean the end of Down Syndrome.

    The statistic is that 92 percent of women who find out their baby has Down choose to abort. But that doesn't account for the 98 percent women who choose not to find out. The article breezily attributes that to the risk of miscarriage in the screening procedure. In our own situation, I do not even recall that risk coming up when we decided not to screen. We chose not to screen because we were having the baby no matter what. There was no reason to screen, because we were not going to abort regardless.
     
  3. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    The idea is that many more women -- younger women, at less risk -- will get tested because this test is so non-invasive and easy. And safe.
     
  4. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I understand that that's the idea. But I still don't think that 100 percent of women who are having a Down Syndrome baby will choose to abort it. Maybe you cut the condition in half or something like that. But to say that this is the end of Down Syndrome, considering this nation's split feelings on abortion, is highly unlikely.
     
  5. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    I'd guess the number choosing to terminate would remain around 92%. Why wouldn't it?

    If that's the case, with many more women getting tested, the number will drop by much more than half.
     
  6. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Because right now you have a self-selecting group choosing to: (1) Get tested; (2) Terminate.

    The people choosing to get screened right now are choosing to get screened because they plan to terminate if the baby has Down. There was no upside to us getting tested. There are, apparently, risks that I didn't know about but maybe my wife did. Plus, it didn't matter to us. We were having the baby anyway. So no need to get screened.

    Only about 50 percent of the people in this country even believe that abortion should be legal. What percentage of them would actually undergo one? Not all of them.

    This isn't the end of Down Syndrome. Not by a long shot. Not unless it is accompanied by the end of the pro-life movement.
     
  7. Lugnuts

    Lugnuts Well-Known Member

    Not always true. Some couples get screened because they want to be prepared. I personally know of two cases where the couple chose to screen, got a positive and had the babies.
     
  8. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    It's definitely not always true, but it's a useful enough guide to guess that the 92% statistic won't carry over.
     
  9. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    You're right.

    That's the 8 percent.
     
  10. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Very brave, very strong people.

    If you don't mind my asking, how are the families doing?

    It's not easy, but in my experience (as an observer, not a parent), it brings its own, very special rewards.
     
  11. No one is more committed than me (and my family) to ensuring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live a rich, full life and are treated with dignity and respect. I could go into the back story with my family, but it would take too long.

    But I've also seen the sadness of watching a loved one with IDD grow up knowing they will never reach their full potential and will always be dependent, in some ways, on others. I've seen the strain it puts on a family financially and emotionally.

    No one should look past the complicated decisions involved in abortion and I would never judge anyone who decides to bring the pregnancy to term even knowing the child had Down syndrome. But I can also understand why the vast majority would choose to end the pregnancy. In our case I know it would have been the right decision both for our family and for the potential human who is doomed to a life in which he will grow into an adult but be trapped with the mind of a child.

    So, long story short, if Down syndrome is in fact eliminated in 50 years, it would be something I view with happiness, not sadness.
     
  12. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure it's going to drop much.

    The woman who are tested now are tested because they are older and at higher risk.
     
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