Doctors respond to parents of Down syndrome newborns with cruelty and callousness

Live Action ^ | Sarah Terzo

[blueplum]

“...older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. By age 35, a woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 350. By age 40, the risk is about 1 in 100, and by age 45, the risk is about 1 in 30.”

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/down-syndrome/basics/risk-factors/con-20020948

It has been screamed from the rooftops for 30 years to past-prime parents that they have a much higher risk of bearing children with severe genetic anomalies. Doctors will strongly advise in emphatic terms for testing of both parents for tell-tale genetic markers - both before and after conception - as this woman's doctor did.

The mother in this article was too lazy to test, too irresponsible and too selfish to involve her own husband in testing, and then gets offended that the medical staff is incredulous of her stupidity. I'm sure she'll be even more offended when hubby walks out the door.

[bluedogpdx]

I’m not trying to be mean but is your 20 yer-old brother employed or employable? And do your parents get government subsidies to support their Down’s son?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Hey blue, maybe you should have tried smiling first? That usually works for me.

[Jim from C-Town]

What is your point?

Do you think that some lives are more valuable than others?

Do you think foreknowledge of a potential problem exonerates a person for choosing to kill their own offspring?

At what point is a person not a person? When is it OK to cull the herd?

[Vaquero]

Once in a while, I see a Down’s Syndrome parent shopping or doing something with their “child”, even though they usually look like adults, and, you know, I’ve never seen even a hint of a smile or a look of contentedness by any of these parents.

Ever!

What's your point? Should we perform euthanasia on the Down syndrome humans because you don't see a smile on their parents faces?

I worked with a really nice guy. He had one boy and was pregnant with his second. Lo and behold the child was born with Down’s syndrome. He was beside himself. His wife would call and they would argue. I even heard him say, “it's the BIG R....we need to face up to it”. He was more than upset at the situation. But he worked it out with family and help from organizations who specialize in this condition. Him, his wife and all 3 kids (he had another boy a few years after)did everything together. He was a good father and his wife and all 3 kids loved him. At age 47, some 12 years after the birth my friend and coworker had a massive heart attack and passed to his reward. At the wake I was heartbroken watching the child, then a 12 year old, break down and cry and wail for his best friend his dad.

[tiki]

When my friend's son was born she asked her mother if he had Downs Syndrome and she told her that he did but nothing else was said by the doctors or the nurses.

There was no doubt that he was going to be loved but when you have a child that isn't perfect you have to come to terms with it and accept the gift you've been given. We spent the whole day coming to terms with it.

Almost 16 hours after he was born a doctor came in and checked him out and told us what we already knew, that he had Downs Syndrome. We all nod our heads and he just thinks we are in denial not that we have discussed it all day, not that we hadn't bawled our eyes out and then felt guilty. And I mean what are you going to do? Put him back in and start all over? The Dr. did tell us that he was healthy and didn't seem to have some of the health issues that other DS children had but then started telling us all the grave things that could happen. Like we didn't have a clue.

I'm happy to say that he's now 11. He has diabetes and Celiac’s but otherwise is healthy. He's pretty smart but nonverbal but he's learning sign language. Everybody loves him not just family. He is happy and loving and well-loved.

[workerbee]

Once in a while, I see a Down’s Syndrome parent shopping or doing something with their “child”, even though they usually look like adults, and, you know, I’ve never seen even a hint of a smile or a look of contentedness by any of these parents.

Hey, thanks -- it's good you went so far as to put the word child in "quotes", just in case anybody was still on the fence about what a sad piece of crap you are.

[trisham]

My doctor was so angry with me. He couldn’t believe I didn’t take that test. “How could you let this happen?” He yelled at me. “You’re 40!”

**************************

I've experienced this kind of attitude from a doctor. It's ugly.

[Steve_Seattle]

"And pro lifer absolutists lost most of the moral standing I used to imagine that maybe they had with me awhile ago."

For what specific reasons?

[caww]

I would disagree with any who would say .."I've never seen a hint of a smile or a look of contentedness by any of these parents"...of a Down's Syndrome Child.

I have two regular customers who have adult children as this who are not only content but we all enjoy their visits when they come there. And least we forget there IS this

[trisham]

Wonderful pics! They bring a smile and tears to my eyes at the same time!

[trisham]

Then you’re not looking.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I’m not trying to be mean but is your 20 yer-old brother employed or employable? And do your parents get government subsidies to support their Down’s son?"

You ARE mean, if adopting a Nazi eugenicist perspective is mean. And I think it is. I personally think that the government SHOULD assist parents of children with severe disabilities, because the medical costs are typically out of the reach of ordinary families.

[trisham]

This is a pro-life site.

[trisham]

God bless you and your wife.

[Jim from C-Town]

He does, all the time. We just wish he would have let us keep him. We miss him every day.

[dfwgator]

Guess what, perfectly healthy kids are a “burden” too.

[trisham]

I hear you. There seems to be a special bond between these children, their parents and families. One of my nephews is married to a woman who has a Down’s brother. He is much loved.

[caww]

Trigg’s going to grow up to be a fine citizen of our country....and I suspect he’ll more than a few words to say to people who would think otherwise of special needs children... I admire the family very much and their great love for their family, as well as this country.

[JenB]

He’s eighteen, thanks, and not through with high school; but yes, he is employed and employable. There are a lot of menial tasks that need warm bodies and hard workers. It’s none of my business whether they get government subsidies but since they homeschooled 6 children, never taking a dime of government assistance, and then adopted multiple children from foster care, thereby saving the taxpayers a good bit of money, I think they’re a net tax-paying unit anyway.

But even if they were, it still doesn’t give anyone the right to say that my brother’s life isn’t worth living, or that he’s a burden on society. We don’t get to make those decisions.