Hey y'all! So the title doesn't really summarize my thoughts on this, and I was given a limited amount of characters for the title. Basically, there have been instances of parents discovering that their unborn child may have Down Syndrome or may be autistic - or maybe this child simply has a learning difference - so the parents decide to abort. This is really freakin' inhumane. There are definitely people who don't agree with abortion. To those of you who don't, I respect your opinion. There are also people who identify as pro-choice. To those people, I respect your opinion, too. In fact, I'm one of you. There are people who fall on all positions of the opinion spectrum dealing with abortion. I would really hope that we can agree that aborting a child simply because they have a learning difference or disability is really inhumane. The fact that parents won't give this child a chance at life and love and knowledge upsets me so much. Aborting a child with a disability, mental, physical, or otherwise, implies that the lives of those who are disabled (of any kind) are worth less than those of us who aren't disabled. Society, regardless of how you identify politically, should make an effort to make people feel equal to one another. Just because someone is in a wheelchair does not mean they are any less human; thus, just because a fetus may have a disability does not mean their chance at life should be revoked before they even leave the womb. Simply because a child may have a disability doesn't mean their future wouldn't be bright. Disabled people are more than just disabled - they are hard workers, they are kindhearted, they are leaders, they are parents, they are siblings, they are family, they are friends. They are human. Thus, I don't really understand why this is an ethical issue that is still up in the air. These unborn kids are human. They haven't even taken their first breath outside of their mother's womb. I identify completely as pro-choice, but if the only reason you're going to abort your child is because they may be disabled, that's outrageous.
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Scottie Pearson-Thompson
Jul 5, 2017
Parents who abort unborn children with learning differences
Parents who abort unborn children with learning differences
I definitely agree with you on this! At the same time, many people choose to abort a child if the fetus is shown to be disabled because they believe that their child will face discrimination throughout their life. I am personally aware of a few of my family members in India who have undergone abortions because of the stigma that they fear from their community. Often times, if a child is disabled, it is viewed as the parents' fault, and they are often shunned from the rest of society, both socially and economically. This is definitely not the case in many places throughout the world, but it still unfortunately does hold true in certain regions.
Hey Rachna! I've definitely heard a bit about that. Stigma against disability is a huge problem that most definitely needs to be taken care of. I've never personally observed that. Can you tell me more about it? Why is it viewed as the parents' fault?
Sure! In short, the woman is viewed as insufficient and oftentimes cursed if her child is disabled. Many families hide children with disabilities away from the public eye - whether it means not taking them to the library and even to school - because they are fearful of this discrimination.
I believe that one of the key steps in fighting against this stigma is providing family support and counseling.
A CBS report on how this occurs in Iceland - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland/.
"Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women -- close to 100 percent -- who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy."
"Olafsdottir responded, "We don't look at abortion as a murder. We look at it as a thing that we ended. We ended a possible life that may have had a huge complication... preventing suffering for the child and for the family. And I think that is more right than seeing it as a murder -- that's so black and white. Life isn't black and white. Life is grey.""
What are your thoughts on this report and a recent proposal to ban abortions in the case of a positive test for Down syndrome (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/states-ban-abortions-syndrome-diagnosed-50057192)?
"Supporters of the bill have likened Down-related abortions to "eugenics" saying women who choose abortion after a positive Down screening are engaging in discrimination."