"Wrong" Baby Aborted
The moral implications of this story are profound and complex. An Italian couple was pregnant with twins. One of the fetuses tested positive for Down syndrome. A eugenic abortion was performed. The baby without Down was destroyed. The Down child was then also aborted. From the story in the (London) Times:
Here's the saddest part to me: The "transformation" from joy to heartbreak was entirely preventable. If society and this couple had embraced the value of both of their gestating children, rather than accepting the eugenic belief that the Down baby should not be allowed to be born, their joy would remain unabated. If there was more publicity given to the potential joys of raising children with Down, as I discuss here, perhaps a different choice would have been made. Truly, when we reject the intrinsic value of each of us, tragedies often result.The mother, who has a small son, said that her life had been ruined. "Neither my husband nor I can sleep at night," she told the Corriere della Sera, which first reported the blunder. She said that the happiness she and her husband had experienced when they learnt that she was expecting twins had been transformed into heartbreak.
Her husband said that they were "truly desperate over this terrible mistake" and were consulting family lawyers.
Labels: Eugenic Abortion.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 9:18 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
One thing that I find particularly worrisome about cases like this is that, compared to some disabilities, Down Syndrome is relatively mild. That's certainly not to say that it is without it's difficulties, but children with Down's can do a lot of things that normal (for lack of a better term) children can do-talk, walk, play, make friends, go to school, play sports and musical instruments, live semi-independently. I heard of a boy with Down's who broke a world swimming record, another who taught fitness classes for people with disabilities, and even a couple who got married. And, of course, they still have full human worth and dignity and can be a source of great joy even when they can't do these things, and the same goes for people with more profound disabilities. It's just frightening that something relatively mild would be so controversial and so terrifying to people-I worry that perhaps one day we will get to the point where it is no longer even controversial and we start debating about whether people with Asperger's Syndrome (a mild, high functioning form of autism that I happen to have) or learning disabilities should be brought into the world (I've already heard of babies with Asperger's being aborted in Britain).
"Neither my husband nor I can sleep at night..."
Apparently they would have no trouble sleeping if only the Downs foetus was killed. This is very sad to me.
What a horrifying and pathetic story. Perhaps most horrifying, though, is the fact that the parents probably don't understand that their woes have resulted from their treating their children like mere products.
This just in from a reader:"Dear Wesley,
Thank you for covering the very sad incident of the women who mistakenly had the "wrong baby" aborted. This was a heartbreaking article for me to read. The fact that she made a return trip to correct the "mistake" is beyond my comprehension.
I'd like to comment on your statement:
"If there was more publicity given to the potential joys of raising children with Down, as I discuss here, perhaps a different choice would have been made."
If this is ever something that you are involved in or hear about, I am happy to provide our experience. My daughter with Down syndrome is 8 going on 9, and has been a great joy to us. Before she was born, I would have said that I would not want this to happen, but honestly, it has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I am always happy to participate in any way to publicize the joys of raising children with Down syndrome. I try to do this whenever I get the chance."
This couple must be mad because like the comment above said they say they could'nt sleep at night, would they be happy and be able to sleep if they had killed the down syndrom child? they - and any one else who considers abortion-
need to realize that abortion isnt the only answer its like they arnt thinking about it. -which i know they probly arn't- but, i wish people would realize that it IS a crime to kill a unborn baby. My point is theres ALWAYS a different and better solution then abortion.
An unborn baby is the potential for so many things - how can anyone consider destroying any child? Keeping in mind that all we "normal" people are only temporarily able-bodied, should we destroy a baby that, in all truth, will probably be better off than we eventually will wind up? Don't we want sympathy when we hit seventy or eighty and realize we still have a lot of life left, and there are so many fun, amusing, and interesting things out there? Maybe some people want to kill themselves when they get old but I'm happy with my dad, who's 70, recovering from cancer, and still my rock and my support system when I get down and depressed.
Who would those children have been to someone?
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