Poll: Would you abort a pregnancy if the child would have Down Syndrome?
- Thread starter llafnwod
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Yes, without a doubt, in a heartbeat, even if if the potential baby DIDN'T have DS. Babies are gross. Then again I'm not a female, and I would feel slightly differently about discussing this sort of situation with a significant other.
It depends...if the child becomes a prodigy, then sure, I'll keep 'em. You know what they say: "If they're the intelligent sort, don't abort!"
I would do it. I wouldn't want a child to live that way, and I wouldn't want myself and the other parent to have to spend our lives caring for a person that's never going to mature or grow past the mind of a child.
I know it makes me sound cold and heartless, and I don't think I am, but I can't honestly say I'd condemn three people to that kind of life for the sake of being "a good person".
I know it makes me sound cold and heartless, and I don't think I am, but I can't honestly say I'd condemn three people to that kind of life for the sake of being "a good person".
My older brother has Down's Syndrome (though he wasn't born with it). I have to say that I would go through with the birth.
People with Down's can often be a handful, I get that. Motor and thinking skills are the most notably affected by Down's (unless I'm forgetting something). However, each case can be different in just how impaired they are. So, you have no idea if your child will only slightly be affected by the disorder, or completely turned around in the head. Two, people with Down's can lead fulfilled (perhaps not by un-handicapped standards) and happy lives. There's no reason to take that opportunity from them--it's not like the child has been diagnosed with harlequin ichthyosis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin-type_ichthyosis].
Back to the question posed by the OP, I should elaborate: I would go through with giving birth to the child, and if I can't take care of him/her myself, I'll find someone who can. I know a couple of my friends would probably be cool with it. My brother is almost like a cornerstone for my family's happiness--without him, there'd be a lot less laughter and smiles around the house. He's a real joy to have around. Despite the burdens of having a handicapped child, it's a great experience. Though, I suppose that could be subject to change between each individual child.
People with Down's can often be a handful, I get that. Motor and thinking skills are the most notably affected by Down's (unless I'm forgetting something). However, each case can be different in just how impaired they are. So, you have no idea if your child will only slightly be affected by the disorder, or completely turned around in the head. Two, people with Down's can lead fulfilled (perhaps not by un-handicapped standards) and happy lives. There's no reason to take that opportunity from them--it's not like the child has been diagnosed with harlequin ichthyosis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin-type_ichthyosis].
Back to the question posed by the OP, I should elaborate: I would go through with giving birth to the child, and if I can't take care of him/her myself, I'll find someone who can. I know a couple of my friends would probably be cool with it. My brother is almost like a cornerstone for my family's happiness--without him, there'd be a lot less laughter and smiles around the house. He's a real joy to have around. Despite the burdens of having a handicapped child, it's a great experience. Though, I suppose that could be subject to change between each individual child.
Boy, you best be trolling or something. A mentally handicapped human being can't be compared to a pet. I'd punch you in the face as hard as I can immediately if you said that to me in person. That's just not cool, man.Name99 said:
Something similar has come up before here, and while I can understand the anger and disappointment in those who have experience of living with someone with Down's, it's still a huge responsibility on two people, to look after and basically devote the rest of their lives to caring for this child.
I personally have always had a phobia about the mentally disabled, and it needs to be understood, I've not chosen to dislike them, like racism, it's more an irrational fear, like a fear of bees or open spaces. However, a bee phobia gets you mild ridicule for flailing around at a tiny bee, whereas my avoidance of any situation where I'll be stuck having to interact with someone with Down's is treated with disgust as tho I'm just choosing to be crappy to someone less fortunate.
We've got to 4 pages already, how about a twist on the original question... Would it be wrong to, if it could be detected in the first few weeks of pregnancy, abort all babies with a serious mental disability, enough to mean that they'd never be able to function in the world alone without help?
As for the thing of the couple really wanting a kid, go adopt, there's thousands of young kids needing a loving home, I wish we could shake off this caveman attitude that only our own biological spawn 'counts' as 'having a baby'.
The way I see it, as loving and gentle as people with down's can be, surely no-one would wish it on a baby, therefore either trying again, or adopting would be a sensible option.
Please note I don't think anyone is asking that we kill anyone with Down's, just that we try to prevent it happening in the future.
I personally have always had a phobia about the mentally disabled, and it needs to be understood, I've not chosen to dislike them, like racism, it's more an irrational fear, like a fear of bees or open spaces. However, a bee phobia gets you mild ridicule for flailing around at a tiny bee, whereas my avoidance of any situation where I'll be stuck having to interact with someone with Down's is treated with disgust as tho I'm just choosing to be crappy to someone less fortunate.
We've got to 4 pages already, how about a twist on the original question... Would it be wrong to, if it could be detected in the first few weeks of pregnancy, abort all babies with a serious mental disability, enough to mean that they'd never be able to function in the world alone without help?
As for the thing of the couple really wanting a kid, go adopt, there's thousands of young kids needing a loving home, I wish we could shake off this caveman attitude that only our own biological spawn 'counts' as 'having a baby'.
The way I see it, as loving and gentle as people with down's can be, surely no-one would wish it on a baby, therefore either trying again, or adopting would be a sensible option.
Please note I don't think anyone is asking that we kill anyone with Down's, just that we try to prevent it happening in the future.
Having a Down Syndrome child is a lot of work. I know someone who had a Down Syndrome child, but she lives with her father and stepmother because the stepmother cannot have children of her own and offered to take care of the child, whereas this person I worked with wanted more children.
If I found out I was having a Down Syndrome child I don't honestly know what I would do until I was in the moment.
If I found out I was having a Down Syndrome child I don't honestly know what I would do until I was in the moment.
I feel really bad for saying this but I probably would, now hear me out there is nothing wrong with people with down syndrome, one of my friends has down syndrome and every time I see him we high five each other and talk for awhile. The reason I would probably do it is for the initial suffering in the later periods of life, why should they be forced to suffer with those other diseases, I know I'm a terrible person for thinking this but there really isn't anything I can do about it now can I. =\
I would never be in that situation, I am a gay man and if I wanted to have a child then I would adopt I think having a surrogate mother is just silly.
Something tells me you haven't met people who like to single out others because they're differant and torment them. I'll admit "misery" was a bad word choice, but that child would have a hard time growing up. Kid's/people will pick on this child for most of it's life and if the child's disability made them a danger to themselves and others, they would spend the rest of their life in a home for "special" people. You may not agree with me, but this is where I stand on the issue.Cakes said:
Wait a second... how can you not be born with something that's caused by a chromosonal disorder?EcoEclipse said: