Worthy of Life

So often individuals with DS are seen as not worthy of life and often people talk about how much they "suffer from Down Syndrome."  In an article about a new test coming out that can detect DS prenatally, one ignorant poster made such a disgusting comment that it just makes me wonder why one would think one life is less worthy than another just because of an extra chromosome.  Here is said ignorant comment....If you can prevent suffering, wouldn't you? Perhaps something like Type II diabetes -- a disease that is usually adult-onset and easy to manage with proper attention -- wouldn't be worthy of an abortion, but something as serious and disabling as down syndrome? I know that the individuals who have it often lead relatively good lives, but they die young and often suffer quite a bit during their lives.

I would urge the parents of these children who advocate against testing or termination upon a positive test to examine how much of their opinion is based upon their own need to care and love for their child. Yes, your child is likely wonderful and kind -- most people with down syndrome are incredibly nice -- but are all the struggles they go through worth it? Wouldn't it be good to abolish something as clearly problematic as down syndrome, to effectively cure it?  

The only thing that needs to be cured in regards to Down Syndrome is ignorance.  I could go on about my feelings on this, but I think this mom of a beautiful girl with that extra something does a pretty good job at summing it up with her video she made of some beautiful soles with Down Syndrome.  When you click on her blog, scroll all the way down to the bottom first and pause the playlist and then scroll back up to the beginning and watch the video, but be warned, you may shed some tears as the song is very fitting to those beautiful children.

http://babynumber10.blogspot.com/2011/01/worthy-of-life.html