True story: Doctor scheduled the test for Downs Syndrome on my five month pregnant belly. I declined. Was looked at like I had lost my marbles. I said, “What does it matter, I’m not aborting it either way” and was still looked at like I had lost my mind. See, as a student from 2nd grade until graduation, I had worked in the handicap room and fell in love with many kids who had Downs Syndrome. The idea of killing one of them just because of who they were was foreign to me. I could *almost* see it if they had no brain or something as severe as that, but just to have this disorder was insane to me.
So after a 30 minute discussion, I finally conceded to having the test so I could prepare if I needed to. I didn’t need to, but I never called and got the result either. I decided after having the blood drawn that I didn’t want to know because it would just upset me for the last four months of my pregnancy.
Doctors are encouraging abortions for down syndrome babies.
And from my work with them, they are the angels of this world as most are just the sweetest, most loving people ever.
I also had amniocentesis with my first pregnancy at age 37. Perhaps it was the time, or the fact that the testing was done at Georgetown University Hospital, but we told the screening doctor in no uncertain terms that we were not about to abort a Downs Syndrome baby, while he simultaneously assured us that there was no way Georgtown would provide the abortion.
The only reason for having the test and getting the results was to provide the time that even Gov Palin admitted she needed to prepare herself for the reality of having and raising a Downs Syndrome baby. With a ‘high risk’ pregnancy, I do think it helps to know what lies ahead.