re: Baby born with Down Syndrome. Mom wants to give him up, but Dad refuses.

That kid will be much happier than your average person. People with Down Syndrome are a lot of work, but they spread joy like nobody else. Definitely pays off.

ETA: My post makes them sound like an investment. Just know that Down Syndrome people are fricking awesome. And people who think they can decide whether or not another person will be happy can frick off. And people who can't make sacrifices for their kids shouldn't be having them in the first place.

I wouldn't give my child up if he/she had a disability but I'm just trying to play Devils advocate for my own info.

So say a couple has a child with DS but dont have all the money to pay for special care, med bills, special education, and who knows what other required expenses. How do they afford it?

Tax breaks? Insurance takes care of it? Obama pays for it? Or tough luck they're on their own? This is a legit question btw not trolling

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She looks a little downsy.

What a piece of shite human.

my sister has downs

alot of the programs available to her are made available through the state, but she had to get on the list to receive those programs years before she actually received them, and my parents went out of pocket for everything before that (and still do for a lot of things)

public schools can have very good special ed programs but some smaller towns do not

my parents obviously are still spending money on my sister (now in her 20's) bc they will be "raising her" for the rest of their lives or until they no longer can and I or one of my siblings takes her in to live with us, but as far as expenses go, its usually just like any other child along with a few programs here and there that the state doesnt offer . but you're also not shelling out for a new car, a crazy phone, and a bunch of stuff that kids want

You obviously have to spend a lot more time with a child with downs because they take much longer to grasp concepts that children usually grasp quickly (my little sister didnt start walking til she was about 2.5) but there arent always a ton of medical bills

my sister has actually had no unusual health issues

there are clearly many other disabilities that this is not the case, and while people with downs have a high chance of being diagnosed with alzheimers as they get older, most standard cases of children with downs dont require tons of healthcare bills

there are people with severe downs that can have a lot of health issues related to the weakness of their heart, but thats not incredibly common.


TLDR: From first hand experience with my younger sister, while caring for a child with Downs takes a lot of time, it doesnt necessary take A LOT more out of pocket expenses than raising a child without downs (depending on what special ed programs are in your area).

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So say a couple has a child with DS but dont have all the money to pay for special care, med bills, special education, and who knows what other required expenses. How do they afford it?

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You just make it happen. Maybe you're in constant debt for the rest of your life. That doesn't matter when it comes to caring for your child. We'd be in big financial trouble if our son came down with a serious illness that required medical attention not covered by insurance, but I wouldn't think twice about taking out loans or whatever to make sure he got it.

How can a mother just turn her back on her baby like that? I can't speak for anyone other than myself but I still vividly remember the first moment I saw my children at the time of their births. You get this overwhelming rush of what I can only describe as complete and total love and devotion to this little person that is beyond anything you ever though possible. So what if they're not "perfect" or have a disability? As a parent that does not matter even a bit compared to your love and devotion to your child. How is it possible this woman just decided to cast aside her newborn baby like a dish at a restaurant that the cook got wrong?

Is it possible they staged this whole thing to make money? I know that's looking for the worst in people but it just seems a little odd how she would divorce him on the spot just like that and it didn't take him long to head to the crowd funding sites

downs isn't even that bad.
So many worse things.
My younger brother was born without most of his brain. He was only supposed to live a few months. He lived 18 years. Never saw, spoke, heard anything. But would laugh and cry and all. Couldn't walk, had to be in a chair most of the time or bed.

But my parents took him on every trip, and every vacation. Maybe sometimes I was embarrassed of him, but I miss him.
My parents were even told to abort but didn't.

Freaking a kid with downs can still have almost a normal life. Stupid selfish woman.

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Is it possible they staged this whole thing to make money? I know that's looking for the worst in people but it just seems a little odd how she would divorce him on the spot just like that and it didn't take him long to head to the crowd funding sites

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I guess anything is possible, but I doubt it. In a country that allows you to abandon your kid if he's not completely healthy, this type of reaction is probably the norm.