I get what you're saying when you mention living a fulfilling life, but there is an impact to others as well. A couple I know decided to have one last child late, and unfortunately had a Down Syndrome pregnancy. Abortion was out of the question for religious reasons. They took joy in the pregnancy, and approached it with lots of motivation. Early on, they got a lot out of the simple joys of raising their Down Syndrome child, which others in this discussion have referenced. However it became more of a problem over time. There is a spectrum of functionality for those afflicted with Down Syndrome and some children have the capability to be more independent, or more manageable, while others don't.
In this case, although things started off well, it became apparent that the child would never be functional enough to be independent in any way, despite lots of efforts and investment from the parents. The situation created large stresses and constraints on the family - the parents, the siblings, their friends, etc. It changed what activities they could hold as a family, what social functions they were invited to, where they could live, and so on. Ultimately it destroyed their marriage and has created a lot of complications for them now, in terms of taking care of their now adult child.
My exposure to this basically confirmed that I would choose abortion if faced with the same situation, as the burden created on others' lives is simply too much.
My wife opted to have this test for two of her pregnancies at about 13 weeks, both negative.
It’s impossible to say what we would have done given a positive result. Everything I hear about the way such a diagnosis is handled by the medical profession suggests that expectant parents will be steered down the route of abortion.
I think though, as the article points out, doctors have a responsibility to properly educate about the life quality of down syndrome so parents can make an informed choice. Right now, standard medical practice seems to be to just recommend abortion without much information.
[Not OP specifically, just something I have observed]
My neice has downs. Interactions with her are about the here and now. Joy and life. Fun and wit. Not plans and efficiency and production. Those with downs are modern day prophets for the rest of us to expose the soul-destroying utilitarian ethics of modern society... and we’re killing them!
Your question is difficult to answer. His condition is a part of who he is. If he didn't have Down Syndrome he would be a different person. In effect your question is do I wish I had a different son. The answer is no, despite the challenges.
I don't mind answering questions about our experience. Hopefully this line of questions isn't trying to prove a point.
The biggest challenge is the lack of community support. I live in the US, and disability services are the first thing cut when ever there is a budget cut. Most workers who choose to work in the support industry make little over minimum wage, for their entire careers. That means high turnover. That leaves a lot of care to the parents and extended family. So financially there are extra costs (e.g. paying a sitter, for an adult child), equipment, and planning for support after you are gone.
There is emotional stress, but you can probably imagine that. One of my peeves is how casually people throw around the R-word. Then act innocent that they didn't mean to be insulting.
So yes there are challenges. I wouldn't want my son to be anyone else though.
I'm in my 50s, my kids are in their 20s. I'm not looking to have anymore kids. :)
I would say that this is effectively getting rid of a batch of cells.
It depends on your culture, vision of the world etc.
Famously, those with other ailments such as deafness or blindness have gone on to form their own subcultures. This of course never happened with the likes of Downs because they are not a "group" broadly and autonomously forming a culture. They are dependent on care, usually, and at the very least for a good portion of their lives.
You seem to think the risks of carrying a child knowing they will have Downs are irrelevant and ought to be borne by the parent. That's irresponsible and naive.
People with Down's aren't a national, ethincal, racial, nor religious group so strictly speaking it doesn't count as genocide under international law. But it would meet less formal definitions.
Luckily individual women making a choice to have an abortion cannot be carrying out a campaign of genocide. But when a society pushes women in this direction by failing to provide support or by failing to provide accurate information that society is probably engaging in genocidal actions.
> Article 2 of the convention defines genocide as
> any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
[...]
> (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
>Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups
Even if the percentage of women electing to have an abortion is high, they're not acting as a singular cohesive body with the collective goal to eliminate all children having Down syndrome.
I interact with someone online who has Down Syndrome. It really changed my understanding of it. He can articulate very well when writing, and has a deep passion and understanding on some topics we discuss (like music...). If he hadn't of told me he had Down Syndrome I never would have guessed.
This article points out the rather morbid fact that 90% of down syndrome pregnancies are aborted. I still remember the conversation with the obstetrician regarding my first child, who told us we should screen the pregnancy and implied we should abort if there were any major defects (including down syndrome). I guess this is standard practice, which is kind of sad, since those with Down Syndrome can live fulfilling lives.