Immoral to let foetuses with Down's Syndrome be born?

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Sometimes people forget the horrendous position these decisions leave the parents in. The mental pain of deciding whether to abort must be truly awful and could leave long and permanent scars with both the person and couple involved.

A married couple we know were warned that their unborn child was going to be born with serious disabilities and were advised to consider abortion.

After a series of difficult conversations, they went ahead with the birth. Sadly their beautiful daughter died after two years and left a huge and unrecoverable crack in their marriage.

While they would never admit it, at times you have to wonder if they made the right decision. They already had a daughter and sadly she witnessed both parents slumping into depression, alcohol abuse and in the case of the woman - a breakdown following the baby's passing.

As a parent I'd love to believe that I would never abort. If I'm honest though - and this really applies to everyone - unless you are faced with a choice like that, you will never know how you will act.

It's easy to post on a web forum about the idea never crossing your mind, but when you are sitting with your wife, doctor and specialists, and you are being given 'advice', I suspect it won't be a straight forward story.

Horrible for everyone involved
 


Frijj said:
Perhaps so, but that doesn't mean that a dead body isn't a dead body, or that a foetus is a thinking, feeling human being without a doctor's say-so.
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Just highlighting the stupidity of certain legalities. Ffs it was legal to hunt and kill aborigines in Australia once upon a time
 
Had a bit of a think about what decision I'd make if we found out, chatted to the wife too.

We'd keep it. Mainly because we have a 2 year old, so suddenly abortion had gone from being a practical decision to a very emotional one.

Might be different if the diagnosis was something that involved pain or suffering, but I think kids with Downs often lead very happy lives.

Not suggesting I'm right on this or owt, totally understand why people would opt for the other path, but just thought I'd add to the debate.
 
joemcdokes said:
Massive decision to make, who was it on here who gave up their child and I got blasted off them for saying it was for selfish reasons....?
It's hard for me to understand why it would be for anything else.
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Some might do it because they knew they couldn't take proper care of the child but wanted it to have a chance of a better life
 
janiep said:
It's a ridiculous question. There's nothing "immoral" about knowingly giving birth to a downs child, and nothing "immoral" about aborting one.
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That is your opinion and that is fine. And I'm inclined to agree with you. But, it isn't a ridiculous question, because others may not agree with you - and will have points to put across - it is a message board after all.
 
Dawkins has all the characteristics of a religious nut-job, but without belief in an actual deity.

My best friends mother fostered a downs child for two years. She was devastated when the child was adopted and gave up fostering as a result. If the human race took a 'logical' stance on everything, we simply wouldn't be human.
 
Homunculus said:
Dawkins has all the characteristics of a religious nut-job, but without belief in an actual deity.

My best friends mother fostered a downs child for two years. She was devastated when the child was adopted and gave up fostering as a result. If the human race took a 'logical' stance on everything, we simply wouldn't be human.
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Spot on. Logic alone is "empty".
 
peachbum said:
That is your opinion and that is fine. And I'm inclined to agree with you. But, it isn't a ridiculous question, because others may not agree with you - and will have points to put across - it is a message board after all.
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What a perfectly pompous little answer.

Where did I say it's a ridiculous question "because others may not agree with me"?

Did you actually understand my post?
 
---Nemo--- said:
Spot on. Logic alone is "empty".
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Dawkins has made a career out of an overreliance on logic.

His entire stance in religion seems to be "science proves it's false so those following it are deluded", as if scientific proof is the only thing by which human behaviour should be guided.

The man has has a real absense of empathy. In fact, he has many of the hallmarks associated with a narcissistic personality disorder. Maybe his mam has immoral for letting him be born.
 
not spavin said:
Dawkins has made a career out of an overreliance on logic.

His entire stance in religion seems to be "science proves it's false so those following it are deluded", as if scientific proof is the only thing by which human behaviour should be guided.

The man has has a real absense of empathy. In fact, he has many of the hallmarks associated with a narcissistic personality disorder. Maybe his mam has immoral for letting him be born.
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Agreed. A preening, self absorbed, emotionally crippled, relentless self publicist. I'd never tire of slapping him.
 
I don't think the human race have ever been bothered about it's gene pool or shaping the evolution of our race or this type of issue would have been addressed ages ago along with many other issues of generating perfect humans.

It's an issue which can never have a conclusion, pointless discussing it in any great depth imo.
 
TiredEyes said:
I don't think the human race have ever been bothered about it's gene pool or shaping the evolution of our race or this type of issue would have been addressed ages ago along with many other issues of generating perfect humans.

It's an issue which can never have a conclusion, pointless discussing it in any great depth imo.
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IMHO things like Downs are a byproduct of the way our chromosomes make us more varied, adaptable and dominant than other species on this planet. How we deal with disabilities of any kind is a very useful measure of where we are as a society. Where people with disabilities flourish or are well taken care of, is where a country has the right intersection of resources, community, culture and attitude to try and give the best environment for all its people. I would be prepared to bet that if there was a league table of countries that provide the best care and environment for the disabled, those at the top would be the countries that are the best overall to live in by all other measures as well.
 
Cockney Mackem said:
IMHO things like Downs are a byproduct of the way our chromosomes make us more varied, adaptable and dominant than other species on this planet. How we deal with disabilities of any kind is a very useful measure of where we are as a society. Where people with disabilities flourish or are well taken care of, is where a country has the right intersection of resources, community, culture and attitude to try and give the best environment for all its people. I would be prepared to bet that if there was a league table of countries that provide the best care and environment for the disabled, those at the top would be the countries that are the best overall to live in by all other measures as well.
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Don't know why you have quoted me, your response has no direct correlation to anything I have said
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