Cholakova1
Dr. John Mullen
English 102
18 April 2016
Could the Down Syndrome be a reason for parents to give up on their child?
According to the information from Encyclopædia Britannica Down Syndrome is defined as a genetic disorder, initiated by an extra copy of 21st chromosome ("Down syndrome" par.1). It is characterized as the inability of people to follow the natural mental and physical course of development ("Down syndrome" par.1).The syndrome is recognized by some physical signs such as “a small head, flattened face, short neck, up-slanted eyes, low-set ears, enlarged tongue and lips, and sloping chin” and by the fact that those, who suffer from theSyndromehavemental disabilities, which vary from mild to severe("Down syndrome" par.1). The impact of the disease is so strong that babies are born with serious health issues and are doomed to carry them for the rest of their lives. Encyclopædia Britannica reveals that 1 in every 700–1,000 babies are born with Down Syndrome, however, as women grow older the chances to give birth to a kid with Down Syndrome increase("Down syndrome" par.3)..
The information in Encyclopædia Britannica exposes that Trisomy is the most common among the three forms of Down syndrome("Down syndrome" par.2). It occurs during the period of cells division and is characterized as an existence of extra copy of chromosome 21st("Down syndrome" par.2).The second form is the mosaic one, which occurs rarely and is less severe than the trisomy because the extra copy of the chromosome does not comprise in all cells of the individual ("Down syndrome" par.2). Translocation is the 3rd form of the syndrome and the only one that could be inherited. In this case the chromosome breaks down and attaches to other one. People who have reorganization in the chromosome but no extra material are only carriers of the syndrome("Down syndrome" par.2). It is said that they have balanced translocation and this is why they do not carry the signs of the disease("Down syndrome" par.2). There is no big difference between translocation and trisomy, both could be highly severe. ("Down syndrome" par.2).
Nowadays, the Down Syndrome can be detected before the child is born. Thanks to the prenatal diagnosis doctors can examine the genes of the fetus and determine if it has some abnormalities. According to P. Hart,these tests are done between the 12th and 14th week andusually Prenatal diagnosis makes parents face the dilemma whether to keep a child regardless of his health issues or to terminate the pregnancy("Ethically Communicating a Prenatal Down Syndrome Diagnosis: A Theoretical Model Describing its Impact on Pregnancy Termination Decisions." Par.3 ). Even though many cases show that people with Down Syndrome are born without any complications, the disease is a reason for parents to decide to abort their child because the severity of the syndrome can range enormously.
A lot of people have conservative opinion about abortion this is why termination of pregnancy in case of Down Syndromeis not a preferred outcome for them.They consider prenatal diagnosis a way of selecting and designing the children. To be prepared to become a parent means to accept the child as a gift, to love it as it is and be ready to deal with all difficulties that may arise.Mark Schrad describes a story of a couple that did not decide to terminate the pregnancy and did not have any second thoughts about it because they knew they will love their kid and for them Down Syndrome was not a reason to give up on their child ("Does Down Syndrome Justify Abortion?" par.1-17). According to another article by David Perry people with disabilities should be given a chance to live("Don't Politicize my Son over Down Syndrome" par.12). He says that every day he meets people with Down syndrome, who are having jobs, communicating freely with others and forming strong relationships, which is a reason why their potential should not be underestimated ("Don't Politicize my Son over Down Syndrome" par.12).
Some states in USA such as North Dakota decided to make it illegal for clinics to perform abortion after a diagnosis of Down syndrome because by choosing to abort a fetus with disabilities people are discriminating the ones that are already born. Tamar Lewin’s article in New York Times Magazine shows that the ban was introduced because everyone has the right to live regardless of the circumstances and that nobody can take away this right("Ohio Bill Would Ban Abortion if Down Syndrome Is Reason" par.1-29).He cites the president of Ohio Right to Life( Mike Gonidakis), who says:
We all want to be born perfect, but none of us are, and everyone has a right to live, perfect or not. You go to any supermarket or mall and see these families who just happen to have a child with Down syndrome, and they will tell you how fortunate they are to have those children. Pretty soon, we’re going to find the gene for autism. Are we going to abort for that, too? ("Ohio Bill Would Ban Abortion if Down Syndrome Is Reason" par.5)
However, here arises the question to what extent is the fetus considered a person in the time of the abortion and does it have the same rights as a human being?James Fieserstates that there is no clear designation if the fetus could be considered a person and be treated with certain human rights(“Ethical Issues”). However, based on his research “the ability to conceive of oneself as existing in time” is what defines us as humans, since the fetus does not possess this ability, the mother’s right of self-determination dominates over the fetus’ rights (“Ethical Issues”). By forcing a woman to continue her pregnancy her right to make choices is violated, which controversies with any moral norms. Ann Furedi argues that aborting a fetus with Down syndrome should not be considered as a promotion of reduction of disabled people but as woman’s right to make a choice, which affects her life ("Abortion for Fetal Abnormality: Ethical Issues" par. 18).This choice should not interfere with public law but with personal preference, since the individual will live with the consequences of his decision, thereforeto deny a woman’s right is equivalent to a denial of her existence as a human being("Abortion for Fetal Abnormality: Ethical Issues" par.18).
In addition, every parent wants the best for his children and nobody wants to see his kids suffer. In almost all cases people with Down syndrome have self-awareness, which helps them understand that they are different from the others. Seeing that there are people with more abilities and more potential has an enormous impact on children’s emotional state. They are vulnerable to feelings of sadness and feeling of incapacity to fulfill their dreams. Every person has different values and different understandings of what is moral. For some people it is better to not let somebody live rather than give him an opportunity to live a life of second-rate this is why nobody should interfere with parent’s right to make a choice.
Due to the severity of the disease there are cases in which the child is born with many complications. According to Weijerman and Peter de Winter, half of children are born with heart disease, which require immediate surgical interventions that are not always efficient ("The Care of Children with Down Syndrome" par.1-3). Almost all children are born with hearing loss, vision problemsand mental retardation, which vary from mild to highly severe("The Care of Children with Down Syndrome" par.1-3). Due to the numerous complications that are constantly arising during the life of a person with Down syndrome, he needs a lifetime care from his relatives ("The Care of Children with Down Syndrome" par.1-3). Reliant on the severity of the disease some people are not able to maintain an independent lifestyle ("The Care of Children with Down Syndrome" par.1-3). Adam Blanchard tells a story of a mother who wished she had terminated her pregnancy, because her son at the age of 47 still needs her constant care and even though she loves him, he made her life and the life of her husband stressful and problematic ("Mom Regrets Not Aborting Child With Down Syndrome, But Her Reason May Shock You" par.1-5). Her concerns are about his life after she and her husband die ("Mom Regrets Not Aborting Child With Down Syndrome, But Her Reason May Shock You"par.1-5). He points out thatit is very easy for critics to make judicial comments regarding this woman’s statement without having the same experience but instead of doing that critics should face the truth and admit that there are a lot of people whose life became miserable after giving birth to a child that is doomed to have an unsustainable and unhappy life. (. "Mom Regrets Not Aborting Child With Down Syndrome, But Her Reason May Shock You" Par.1-5)
Another reason why parent have the right to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy of a disabled child is that some people cannot afford to take care of a kid with diagnosis of Down syndrome. In a lot of the situations the kid needs constant care, because it is highly affected of the disease, so one of the parents is forced to quit job in order to take care of his child, which on the other hand reduce the monthly income of the family and prevents them from covering the expenses, required for the expensive treatments of the complications that arise after the birth of the child. The inability to provide the child with healthy environment makes the parents of the child start blaming themselves and should be taken into consideration when making the decision whether to terminate the pregnancy or not.
The major aim of parents is to make their child feel happy, which gets harder when the kid has some health issues. The integration of people with Down syndrome into the society is not an easy task even nowadays. Based on others attitude people realize that are different, which lowers their confidence and their self-esteem. This leads to serious communication issues that prevent them to build relationships with people. This leads to other problems such as feeling of sadness and even depression. Additionally bad attitudes will always create barriers for disabled people and will reduce their quality of life. When giving birth to their child, parents have to make sure that they are providing it with the opportunity of leading a healthy lifestyle. Justexisting does not mean living a life of full value. People’s purpose in life is not only to create children but providing them with a world full of optimism and happiness. According to Razib Khan, who does not refuse that people with Down syndrome could have happy lives but “humans flourish best when they are beautiful, intelligent, and healthy” ("I Think Down Syndrome is bad" par.6). He implies nowadays beauty and intelligence are becoming major values for people even though people try to deny it this is the truth ("I Think Down Syndrome is bad" par.5). He says that diversity is strength but not when it is one of disease, which does not make him intolerant towards people of disabilities ("I Think Down Syndrome is bad" par.6). He aims to reveal the fact that in a world where values such as physical appearance and intelligence rule, people with certain disabilities have no way to live a life of full value ("I Think Down Syndrome is bad" par.1-9).According to him our main goal as a society should be to create a better world, where everybody should feel good:
In sum, humans differ, and that difference is not always a strength. The tall, handsome, and intelligent, have traits which most people feel to be superior. There is inequality. We cannot abolish inequality, but we can increase the basal level of human quality of life. This may seem like an abstract digression, but it is not. In the near future we will have a much better sense of our mutations, and those of our potential offspring. Our values will guide our actions. Let’s have a frank and honest discussion about them ("I Think Down Syndrome is bad" par.5).
In conclusion, there are plenty of stories about people who raised children with Down Syndrome, some of them positive, others negative. Different cases show that some people are happy they gave their child a chance to live, while others regret that they did not know about prenatal diagnosis and that no one offered them a termination of the pregnancy. These opinions are based on the severity of the disease and usually parents who have a child with highly severe disease are the ones that regret having it. Even if this sounds terrible from a moral point of view, everybody should have the right to choose.
Works Cited
Blanchard, Adam. "Mom Regrets Not Aborting Child With Down Syndrome, But Her Reason May Shock You." Greenville Gazette. 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Down syndrome."Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica Academic. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
Fieser, James. "ABORTION From Moral Issues that Divide Us and Applied Ethics: A Sourcebook." The University of Tennessee. , Jan. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Furedi, Ann. "Abortion for Fetal Abnormality: Ethical Issues." Abortion for Fetal Abnormality: Ethical Issues. 3.June 2009.Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Hart, Zachary P. "Ethically Communicating a Prenatal Down Syndrome Diagnosis: A Theoretical Model Describing its Impact on Pregnancy Termination Decisions." International Journal of Disability, Community & Rehabilitation 12.2.Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
Khan, Razib. "I Think Down Syndrome is bad." Discover., 12 July 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.
Lewin, Tamar. "Ohio Bill Would Ban Abortion if Down Syndrome Is Reason." The New York
Perry, David. "Don't Politicize my Son over Down Syndrome." CNN. CNN, 24 Aug. 2015. Web.
6 Apr. 2016.
Schrad, Mark L. "Does Down Syndrome Justify Abortion?" The New York Times. The New
York Times, 3 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Weijerman, Michel E., and J Peter de Winter."The Care of Children with Down Syndrome."
European Journal of Pediatrics 169.12 (2010): 1445-52. Web. 1 Apr. 2016.