Posted on 09/11/2008 10:43:12 AM PDT by NYer
Oh, the horror, the terror, the audacious assault on a woman's "right to choose." From legislation or judicial action? No, from the example of the Palin family. The Globe and Mail reports:
But others fear Ms. Palin's emergence as a parental role model sends a different message. As a vocal opponent of abortion, Ms. Palin's widely discussed decision to keep her baby, knowing he would be born with the condition, may inadvertently influence other women who may lack the necessary emotional and financial support to do the same, according to André Lalonde, executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.
Dr. Lalonde said that above all else, women must be free to choose, and that popular messages to the contrary could have detrimental effects on women and their families.
"The worry is that this will have an implication for abortion issues in Canada," he said.
The surfacing debate demonstrates how divisive the issue of prenatal testing remains and the mixed messages prospective parents in Canada hear.
Prenatal testing was once reserved for women older than 35, who are deemed at higher risk for pregnancy complications. But last year, the SOGC released guidelines recommending that the non-invasive genetic screening be available to pregnant women of all ages to detect potential abnormalities.
The guidelines sparked concern among the Down syndrome community that the wider availability of genetic testing would result in an increasing number of women opting to abort their pregnancies. If that occurs, they fear it could result in dwindling numbers of people living with Down syndrome, which could diminish funding for research or resource programs. Members of Canada's Down syndrome community say that many of the country's medical professionals only give messages of fear to parents who learn their baby will be born with the genetic condition.
"It's very dark," said Krista Flint, executive director of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society. "They hear a lot about the medical conditions that are sometimes associated with Down syndrome. They hear about the burden ... it places on children and a marriage. They hear about things like shortened life expectancy. They hear a lot about the challenges of a life with Down syndrome."
That's why Ms. Palin has become an example that could possibly stem the tide of families who abort fetuses after a positive determination for Down syndrome, she said.
"We know overwhelmingly the message families get is 'Don't have this baby, it will ruin your life,' and I don't think people would look at Sarah Palin and see a ruined life," Ms. Flint said. "Regardless of politics, I think it's a good example."
However, the SOGC says the country's medical professionals don't emphasize the burden of Down syndrome to pregnant women. Giving women balanced information about the potential consequences of either decision does not mean they are being encouraged to abort their pregnancies, Dr. Lalonde said.
"We offer the woman the choice. We try to be as unbiased as possible," he said. "We're coming down to a moral decision and we all know moral decisions are personal decisions."
It's true, of course, that moral decisions are personal decisions in the sense that only persons make moral decisions. Trees, cats, lint, and hurricanes do not. But if moral decisions are only "personal decisions," then why are there public laws against, say, murder, rape, slavery, child abuse, spousal abuse, and so forth? Would anyone in their right mind say that Hitler's moral decision to exterminate the Jews was just a personal decision? I doubt it. Or could it be that if Hitler had wished to exterminate a few million people with Down syndrome that would have somehow been morally acceptable? Hmmm...
More on this story from the Los Angeles Times.
Ping
We can’t have people making choices. That would violate their right to choose.
I mentioned this to a few people who were horrified.
Seems like eugenics, Nazi style, is back in vogue in some quarters.
I believe that this article gets to the emotional heart of the hate of Palin.
She turned up the volume loud on that small voice of conscience inside them that they thought they’d rendered inaudible.
“may inadvertently influence other women who may lack the necessary emotional and financial support to do the same”
There are ways of preventing pregnancy for women who don’t have the emotional or financial support they need. And that goes for any child, not just a child with special needs. Didn’t these people go to public school?
Does Canada have representation in The Special Olympics? Because if they win, they might make other “defectives” think they can win too. They might even get the idea that their lives have meaning.
Here’s another article about Trig:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/the_importance_of_trig_being.html
This article brought tears to my eyes, especially since I have a special needs kid.
This article is pissing people off in my special needs group.
Great dig.
When I read this earlier today, I thought the same thing. The pro-aborts are revealing their inner eugenicists.
I just hope my special-needs children never have to hear anyone say something similar to them. It would take a lifetime to undo the damage.
They are afraid of babies!
“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”
That one tugs at the heartstrings!!
You’ll like Glenn Becks review on Piper and Trig.
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/14771/
Glenn Beck: Slammin Sarah
[snip]First of all, when her daughter was sitting there holding Trig and she licked her hand to put Trig’s hair down, a rush came to me. These people are like my family. When she licked her hand and did that, you know what it made me think of? Where did she learn that? Mom. And suddenly I saw mom licking, you know, licking her fingers and then doing that to my head. My mother used to do that. When I was a kid, we would be out some place and she would say, why didn’t you comb your hair. And then she would lick her hand and she would try to make the little cowlicks stay down on my did anybody else’s mom do that? So all of a sudden Sarah Palin, I saw her with her children just as I could see my mother with her children, except my mom wasn’t nearly as smoking hot as Sarah Palin. I’m just sayin’.
She chose life...therefore she is utterly unsuitable for the White House (or even the Naval Observatory)
Yeah, right...
Moral issues are personal issues? You mean, like murder, slavery, drug abuse, theft, arson...
For later.
Indeed. Did you watch Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin this evening? What a loathesome attempt to portray her as inexperienced. Frankly, I think she did an excellent job. Kudos to Sarah!
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