A World Without Downs Syndrome
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Downs Syndrome is something I know virtually nothing about. I know it’s a condition some are born with. I know it shows clearly in their faces. I know it’s a condition that is challenging for the sufferer and the sufferers family.
On the radio today a debate was occurring regarding a new test on unborn babies to see what the likelihood was of them having Downs Syndrome.
The test is called ‘Harmony’ or ‘Panorama’. Apparently, whilst it isn’t 100% accurate, it is as close as medical science can get up to now.
According to what I heard today, Iceland has zero Downs Syndrome people.
According to what I heard today, Iceland uses this ‘Harmony’ test.
According to what I heard today, pregnant women in Iceland whose test suggests a likelihood of a Downs Syndrome baby are pressured to abort.
Read: An Englishman On Why Old People Are Mental and Smell of Cabbage
Given Iceland have zero Downs Syndrome people you have to wonder whether there is much truth in the radio report.
The ‘Harmony’ test is now in Britain and, I presume, many other countries.
Now it has to be said, it would be nice if Downs Syndrome could be cured but it can’t. It is what it is.
Personally I have had limited contact with Downs Syndrome sufferers. I found them to be lovely, gentle people.
I found myself feeling very alarmed at this radio report.
Are we trying to wipe out Downs Syndrome? It isn’t a curable ailment. It’s a condition sufferers are born with.
Are we trying to wipe out imperfections? Are we trying to make humanity perfect in an image we consider perfect?
Are we trying to abort potential – and even with ‘Harmony’ it’s an imperfect test – Downs Syndrome babies?
It appears Iceland may have aborted them out of existence if the radio report was accurate – and I have no reason to disbelieve it.
Does it remind you of the Nazi’s Aryan perfect race business?
What the hell are we becoming?
What the hell have we become?
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Jess & Bobbie : so are you saying babies should be aborted if there is a risk of Downs Syndrome?
The terrible world, Bobbie, is one where abortion of babies purely on the grounds of possible Downs Syndrome is acceptable.
Lets have the facts then.
Do you think it should be so?….assuming the question isn’t too difficult.
Not my thinking at all as far as a diagnosis of Down’s Syndrome and don’t be that person with the whole condescending attitude about, hoping it isn’t too difficult for the perceived morons among us, not becoming at all. You KNOW better than that with just me. What I am saying regardless of my own moral or ethical choices, which are different from anyone else on the planet because they are mine and mine alone, a woman, her family and their doctor should be left to make THEIR choice. Would I do it, I don’t know if I would be able to go through with an abortion personally***, but I still would want the choice for the family that does want to do that, regardless of why because it is not our business what choice they make, it is THEIR choice to make for their family.
*** I can’t have children, so this is a choice I will never have to make.
I can’t and won’t argue that.
I was born in ’57. Kids born back then in my circumstances were very lucky to be born. Back street abortions usually prevailed.
I can’t deny, given that, my view may well be colored…
Till abortion was made legal, many women were dying from those back alley abortions. Me, myself and I know what time we would choose to live in, it was not back then. There was a great movie a few years ago starring Imelda Staunton called Vera Drake, about those back alley abortions in the 50s in Britain. It was a fantastic movie that showed all that happened and what could possibly happen again if forced birthers got their way.
I’m no supporter of the pro lifers.
I just don’t want us trying to eradicate imperfections at the cost of innocents.
Maybe a thin wire to walk to some…
Anyway…you could always adopt me!? I’m just a big kid 😘😀
So here’s a thing I just thought about because it’s you and I talking here. Hypothetical, just say that your daughter got pregnant and she found out a couple of months into her pregnancy that the growing cluster would not survive 5 minutes outside her womb, what would you counsel her to do, assuming she let you in on her thoughts about being pregnant. Would you counsel her to go ahead and have a baby that would die within minutes, or would you tell her, honey I love you and if abortion is your chosen option you should take it, if that is your decision, because you can always have another child and I will support you in that choice 100%? Or would you say, no you must have this child and suffer the grief you will suffer after the fact. I have been there with friends that have had to make choices like this as far as terminating pregnancies, I’ve held their hands while they are on tables and watched a friend almost die from sepsis after a decision to carry a still born child, it’s not pretty. These choices made are some of the most difficult and heartbreaking a woman will ever have to go through in her life, it’s not something they just wake up one morning and go hey I know, I’m going to go to the abortion clinic just because I can.
You don’t have any say in the matter of another person and what they want to do though do you? If you and I did, I know my choice would be to rid the world of intolerant racist bigots and not blink. Your thin line can still be walked but only by you, same with me and mine and all the others out there in the world with theirs.
Nah, I’m good with all my friend’s kids and my niece and nephews being stand in children, no adoption needed 🙂 We did try to adopt a few years ago but the endless hoops we had to jump through hit us hard and we gave up. I won’t even tell you how much we spent on unsuccessful IVF tries, other than some people don’t even make that in years of working.
May the almighty life spirit love and protect you Jess.
Amen.
Thank you Holte. I’ve been quite talkative today foe some reason. This is a topic I am passionate about as you can probably guess and I don’t shy away from it 🙂
Fucking America’s adoption system is insane, as you no doubt discovered Jess. I have a friend who wanted to adopt a baby. She waited for months and months, and heard nothing from the adoption agency, until she did. They were desperately looking for someone who would a agree to adopt a black, premature baby. My friend is black so she was a candidate, and she jumped at the chance. You would think the agency would have waived the fees, or at least some portion of the fees because they had been unable to find an adoptive parent. Nope. Still charged her thousands of dollars. All these poor babies, languishing in foster homes, waiting to find a forever home and all these adoption agencies raking in the bucks and killing trees to finish up the amazing amount of paperwork it requires to adopt a child. No wonder so many people go overseas to adopt children. Fucking America.
AYUP, it was a nightmare for us for 4 years, before we said know what enough is enough this is not meant to be. Our whole life was dissected and dissected some more. We did not even ask for a lily white newborn, we would have taken in an older child but it always seemed something came up where we never got the chance to be parents. As far as the fees go, it is obscene and we could afford it. We chose not to go the overseas adoption route, mainly because of the amount of kids in our own system. I came out of the foster system, so we wanted to do that. Then you hear about people like those two that just got busted here in CA for torturing their kids, all 13 of them and think these people, they had all that and just threw it away like trash.
Women should have a choice. If they want to abort the pregnancy they should be allowed to do so, for their own reasons, private reasons.
Ok I found the Snopes deal I had looked at, after I saw the CBS news report about this, the initial report is embedded in the Snopes fact checker. Snopes is my go to for, is it real or is it bullshit and should be yours also Neil. That radio station or whatever, is way late to the party by a few months with this one. The more you know 🙂 Pre natal testing shows any abnormality and it is up to the woman, her family and her doctor as to whether or not to continue with a pregnancy regardless of what you, me or any rando forced birther thinks about their ethical or moral choices.
https://www.snopes.com/iceland-eliminated-syndrome-abortion/
Read it. 👍
Did it open your mind though, to see it is not a big gubbmint forced abortion they are made to go through? If so, then I am glad.
I did.
Yes Mr Bamforth, keep those dubious facts coming.
Someone on the internet thinks we are not trustworthy Bobbie. I do not know if I will be able to carry on living because of that shame, I will try getting through it though 😉
Actually I’m not in the mood for being polite to you anymore.
If you had a brain you’d be bloody dangerous. 😂😂😂😂😂
You hear that Bobbie. Neil can finally see through you. Well said Neil.
I expect the apology for Bobbie and I, after your bullshit to be forthcoming then shall I?
Just because Jess and Bobbie say you’re wrong Neil, doesn’t mean you are. I’d rather believe you any day of the week. I trust that you wouldn’t pull dubious facts out of thin air without a little research. Keep up the good work.
Jaysus wept, you will never be invited to bring salad to the Mensa picnic will ya? Go do some fucking research and you will see I am right you leaking douchecanoe.
It’s a terrible world you live in Mr Bamforth. Step one to making it better: Get your facts right.
I’m starting to think you wouldn’t know a fact if it fell on your silly head
Oh Neil you’ve done fucked up again with this one. Icelandic women are NOT being pressured into abortion at all. What has happened is they have instituted pre natal tests that allow women and their family to make choices about what they want to do should the test show an abnormality in a growing clump of cells. They have counselors that talk to the women after the test to give them ALL THE INFO and then the woman and her family make the choices. It seems the Icelandic women do not have the same outlook that anti choice people do. They look at pregnancy termination as just ending something. In the US women make those same choices when given all the information, France same thing, Denmark same thing. I don’t think I could have an abortion personally but that’s a moot point, since my lady bits don’t seem to work to bring life into the world, but I would never take that choice away from someone else. I will see if I can find the article I read about this last year and post it later. I need to go get some food for my best friend the leper.
As I pointed out. The suggestion came from a respected radio station. I didn’t say it was correct. I said it might be.
I take it you’ve popped over to Iceland then so know better?
Nope, I did my due diligence looking up reporting on it. When my comment showing my info gets out of moderation purgatory I hope you read it. I think it might change your mind, getting new information.
It well might. Nowt like an open mind 😜
Look. I heard an in-depth report. It may be right, partially right or wrong – I ain’t psychic.
What I do know is possible Downs Syndrome babies do not deserve abortion.
I thought we’d moved beyond survival of the fittest?
Like you said, what YOU know is these babies do not deserve abortion. That is your thinking, not the thinking of everyone else. Is your thinking the best or is theirs? It is a question of whose ethics are correct, yours are for you and you alone, someone else has their own. I’ll give you an example, I am against all forms of war and the death penalty because of my ethics and morals, I believe every life is valuable but they still happen, regardless of my thoughts on the matter.
True but should we be silent because we can’t stop bad things happening?
Maybe our voices make no difference at all but to keep our conscience satisfied but we’ll never know for sure…
So I’ll keep shouting.
As per Tom Petty…I’m a rebel without a clue….but I’ll keep trying
You know my thinking on that, let your voice be heard by any means but do go in there shouting equipped with the correct information, otherwise you (generic) look like a first class idiot.