re: Aborting children with down syndrome, would you do it?

I would definitely consider it. I'd rather make a shitty decision like that than have any doubts about having a child

quote:

---

Usually early to mid second trimester if I'm not mistaken.

12-18 weeks or so.

I could be wayyyyy off though.

---

I just went through a pregnancy with my wife.

You have the option of a blood test from 8-12 weeks that will let you know if you have an elevated risk of having a child with DS. It still cant guarantee, but it can be pretty definitive

Besides that, sometimes markers show on ultrasounds, sometimes they dont.

Then there is an invasive test that will let you know 100%. Problem is, that test can kill the fetus. And you could find out that the fetus you just killed during the test did not have DS.......

We chose not to do the blood test because we said it wouldnt matter either way. So that was our way of saying we want the baby no matter what.


Everything turned out great. Perfectly healthy baby boy.

Here is the thing though....



Those tests to check for down syndrome of the fetus are not always accurate.


Coworker of mine, her sister had a bunch of testing done when she was pregnant. Testing showed her baby had down's. Doctor asked her if she wanted to abort, she decided not to.


Baby was born......perfectly healthy.

So think about all those perfectly healthy babies that were aborted....because of inaccurate test results.


If I ever become blessed enough to get pregnant...I'm not doing any invasive testing during my pregnancy(such as amniocentesis....which is very painful and carries a big risk of miscarriage) because it will not change what I do. I would not abort a child just because they have down's syndrome.

Absolutely not. First, I personally consider abortion to be murder unless it's to save the life of the mother.

Second, I've been around both kids and adults with Down syndrome enough to see they tend to be some of the most pure hearted and joyful people you could ever meet. I've never met a single one who I think would be happier if they'd never been born.

TBH, a man would never have to make that call, so this should really be a female-only question.

I wouldn't... but I wouldn't fault anyone for deciding to either.

quote:

---

Then there is an invasive test that will let you know 100%. Problem is, that test can kill the fetus. And you could find out that the fetus you just killed during the test did not have DS.......

---

Ahh, that might be the one to which I was referring. Amniocentesis, and it is usually done at 14-16 weeks.

Actually, there is a test called CVS that can be done earlier but has a substantially higher rate of infant mortality, so I guess it depends which route the parents go.

quote:

---

There's a newer test that is not invasive for the baby and more accurate. I can't remember the name but it's expensive as hell.

---

If it's just blood testing...sure I would do it. Because of my age I'm sure my doctor's would want to monitor me and baby much closely throughout my pregnancy. And insurance would likely cover the costs.



However, it still wouldn't change how I proceed with the pregnancy. My two youngest siblings are mentally-challenged(not down's...but they can never live on their own because of their disabilities). While they don't lead the lives most adults their age lead because of it...they are both very happy, joyful people and I couldn't imagine them being killed in the womb just because they were not deemed "perfect enough".

quote:

---

Almost everyone in this thread will say no. But statistics shoe that means about 67% in this thread will be lying. Is interesting

---

I think it's just most of the "yes" posters will not reply

quote:

---

People shouldn't get to move the goalposts like this. It's murder or it isn't, right?

---

I think it's more like self defense in the case of the mother being at risk.