Comments on: On Down Syndrome and other self-inflicted tragedies

By: Shan

Shan — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:23:51 +0000

Hey David, did you know that there was a really cool guy named Adolf Hitler and that he pretty much felt the same way about Down Syndrome kids.

In essence, Mr. Hitler called those “adorable children” with Down Syndrome “worthless life” and he had them all thrown in the gas chamber.

There’s a novel idea David to your Down Syndrome issue. Why don’t you write to the Democrat Party of America and tell them of what a great idea Adolf Hitler had for adorable babies with Down Syndrome.

After all. Both you and Adolf both believe that kiddles with Down Syndrome are “life not worth living.”

By: Shan

Shan — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:10:53 +0000

Let’s hope someday when you have dementia and are a burden on society, that people see you as a worthless piece of crap and try to exterminate you from the human race.

By: Loretta may

Loretta may — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:44:30 +0000

You are a disgusting human.

By: Truthella

Truthella — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:55:21 +0000

DS is not a blessing – agree with that one. You purposefully use harsh language, but with this judgmental attitude, better have all your facts right.
However, here are the facts you got WRONG:
- Most parents do not “plan on” not aborting and having DS children. Even in most parts of the developed world (as a fellow eastern European, I love this expression!), non-invasive screening was not available until very recently. The needle biopsy carries a 1% spontaneous abortion risk, and can be performed at 16-20 weeks of the pregnancy (pretty late, just ask anyone). Imagine a family, after several miscarriages they might not take this risk, after all, having a DS pregnancy is less probable.
The test is not recommended by MDs for low-risk groups, i.e. women under 35. Most DS babies are born to low-risk parents who don’t want to risk aborting a healthy baby.
So not much basis to blame most parents, that’s the point.
(A non-invasive technology might be on its way in the US, or -maybe- already available. It’s not available in eastern Europe yet, that’s for sure.)
- Many DS people are sterile – most men are, and there are very few babies born to DS women – so your fear of ruining humanity’s gene pool makes no sense.
- Many disabled children / adults and their families suffer unnecessarily because of purposefully cruel attitudes even in the “developed world”, not to mention other places (e.g. look around in Russia during your next trip) – encouraging this “treatment” through articles like yours is irresponsible. You claim that you are a thinking person – many sociopaths will just feel justified after reading your lines.

By: genna

genna — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:21:44 +0000

Wow! Skimmed the article bc I don’t allow that much hate to infiltrate my brain… the only comment I have is: your parents didn’t abort you and there is something definitely wrong with your mentality even if it doesn’t involve a chromosome!

I have a daughter with DS whom I chose to adopt because her mother didn’t want her. She tried to abort her but was told that the twin brother may be accidentally aborted instead so THANKFULLY she chickened out on the table. I do not treat her as a god, but I can guarantee she shows more love and affection than you could ever give on a normal day, to a ‘normal’ individual.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:24:19 +0000

This is a completely useless post. The only purpose is serves is to inflame and upset people who love children and adults with Down syndrome. Their lives have value and purpose. Sure, abortion is a way out of caring for a child with disabilities. That is a loss of life that could have loved a mother and father completely and unconditionally. (How often does love like that happen to people, David?) A loss of life that could have given parents and siblings a purpose greater than themselves. This life of ours is the only one we have. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t choose to educate people about the benefits (you heard right — benefits) that having a child with disabilities can give a family. Yes, abortion is a choice, but a poor one indeed.

By: Jand4bs

Jand4bs — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:19:29 +0000

How pitiful you are, Hitler, Jr. There are no tests to conclusively determine mental retardation before birth. DS and mental retardation are not the same. You have truly shown your ignorance. Apparently, according to your opinion, your mother should have aborted you.

By: Bob Battersby

Bob Battersby — Sun, 22 May 2011 23:47:56 +0000

Heck lighten up. My boys have disabilities all have autism & one with DS too and they are all Great:-))). The first thing you do is accept kids as they are. You don’t pine after any sterile icon like these people who seem to try and dominate the agendas. Randians, Eugenicists, Social Darwinists or just plain Sociopaths I don’t care they are all wrong. You Trash another and you trash yourself. Perhaps you’d like to birth a truly iconic Serial Killer like a Global Leader (or lackey of another) who causes a World War. Smile on that! Let’s be Nice to Each other but 100% intolerant of our Global Elite fiends:-)))

By: ashleypmo

ashleypmo — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:51:26 +0000

I keep re-reading this post, certain that if only I read it one more time, I will finally find the clue that proves it is not a vitreous, nauseating diatribe on the worthlessness of individuals, but merely a Horatian satire, albeit not nearly as well written as Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”.

I must say, although I’m sure you fancy yourself some sort of expert on…well, probably everything given the amount of ego bursting the seams of this single post, your research skills are sorely lacking. One doesn’t have to search too hard to find story after story of adults with Down syndrome living wonderful, fulfilling lives—and they manage to do it without stooping to decry another segment of the population as worthless.
I would much rather sit in a room full of them than a room full of you. Of course, your behemoth ego would leave little space for anyone else, wouldn’t it?

By: Sharron

Sharron — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:48:25 +0000

I just ran across this site and the letter by the Ukrainian. We had a wonderful daughter with Down Syndrome. Unfortunately she passed away 24 March 2010 due to complications of a seizure. I am so thankful for the many lessons she taught us! I miss her so much that sometimes I wonder if I can go on without her. She was blind, autistic, DS, had seizures and could not talk. I would not have traded her for any ‘normal’ child. I will always be grateful that we had her in our lives. She was loved by everyone around her and at her workshop.
By the way, her sister adopted two children from the Ukraine three years ago. As ‘healthy’ children they certainly came with a lot of problems but we love them as if they were our
own. All children are God’s children and should be treated that way! Sharron

By: Rebekah

Rebekah — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:00:31 +0000

I think you are totally 1000% wrong in this factor. you have NO right in any form as to say if Special needs children should be brought into this world. they are the people who keep life interesting. give meaning to life. who care! unlike people like yourself! After reading your article in class at school. the students voted 100% that you are just like Hitler!. you do not care for anyone who is ” less important” then you are. you think that because people are not “normal” that they should be exterminated! well here is a new flash for you

******PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS ARE HUMAN *******

so deal with it! don’t tell others what to do. i have not met one single person with special needs that are violent or disturbed. they are all very sweet! and more lovable than most ‘normal’ humans as some people would like to put it. well if you want to talk normal and special needs.. who is to deside what is normal…for all we know we might be the people with the special needs and the people with Down Syndrome and CP and Autism and any other form of ‘special needs’ are the normal. we are the odd ones who need to learn lessons..

my parents did not know that they were going to have a Child with Downs syndrome. and even if they did. they would of kept him. My brother is the best thing that could ever happen to this family. he is in school with other kids his age. he has a loving supporting family and friends who LOVE him for who he is. people don’t care about what he has. he walked up to police officers at a coffee shop and they joked with him. played with him. He is a perfect stranger and these cops who were on duty, recognized that he has something special about him. My brother is a friend to all and everyone excepts him.

i think the problem today is the people who don’t have support. people who hear people like you talk and think that ” maybe this is more trouble then what its worth”. but let me tell you. having a special needs child in your home may be a bit more physical work then a ‘normal’ child but they are more understanding, more loving, more caring, and they seem to have more instincts about whats wrong or right. they know that life is a gift and not something that can be taken if someone else doesn’t want you to live.

a fetus no matter how young it is when someone desires to abort it. would of grown to become a beautiful child, someone who would be overjoyed for a little attention and love. someone who would like to be given a chance to live.

put yourself in the shoes of one of these “special needs” children. would you not of wanted to have a chance to live? to spread some love around? to show others how to be truly happy? to have a life? to maybe experience what is like to fall in love? to have a heart break because someone you loved died?

GET A LIFE! stop thinking about stupid things like ” if we exterminate all the people with special needs ( like we exterminate the bugs in our house) this world would be a better place” Well it will not be!!.. the sane people would go insane! because they have nobody who truly care for and listens to them . there is only a few people who will accept anyone for who they are!and people with special needs are the majority of them

this is proven by articles like the one you wrote you do not care for anyone but yourself! Stop being so selfish and think of how others feel! and what others would like for a change!

By: Damien

Damien — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:56:30 +0000

Damien,

The choice of whether to bring an individual with Down’s Syndrome into the world or not rightfully belongs to the individual, not the state. Now, that a person would consciously do such a thing is a different matter. Is it right or wrong? (I preveiously used the term “evil” and “cruel” in discussing the matter.) Let me now elaborate on this point. Between the the pregnant woman and the fetus, it is the woman that has the right to decide what form of life, if any, she will permit to come into existence. If she chooses to have a baby with Down’s Syndrome that is entirely up to her. Whether her choosing to have a baby with Down’s is morally good or bad (under which “evil” falls) depends on her reason for doing so. There may be rational reasons for a woman to have the baby. However, “Because the gods say so,” is not one of them. In my view, such reasoning (or, more appropriately, lack thereof) is monstrous.
Now, getting back to the point of your question, although I regard such a decision as wrong, not all forms of wrong (even “evil”) are matters in which the state can properly intervene.

By: DONNA

DONNA — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:03:31 +0000

I just happened upon this website while searching what to get a 39 yr. old Down Syndrome boy for Christmas, and God only knows why I ended up here! I am the mother of this 39yr.old and he has brought so much joy to my life and someone like you could never understand the meaning of LOVE! No it has not been easy at times we had our struggles, but there is no way on earth I would have ever wanted him any different! He is not a burden to society, he lives at home with his parents, he goes everywhere we do, he eats out in restaurants, bowls, goes to the movies, etc. he can and does do about everything we do. Yes he needs help with life skills but so what! He can’t manage money , read or write but so what!He didn’t go to college or highschool, but so what!. From the sounds of it you are an angry and unloving human being. You should have more compassion for people with dissabilities! I don’t have much compassion for someone like you, and I don’t have much compassion for people who are strung out on drugs and fried their brain by choice! They are the ones who are draining on our society, they are the ones under the bridges and asking for handouts. I don’t know what your problem is , but you are against the wrong group of people, God put these people in our lives and we are to take care of them, he didn’t put the drug addicts and others whom choose to destroy their brains themselves in our lives to be taken care of! You need to do some furthur study’s of our society!

By: Fran

Fran — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:48:48 +0000

I have been reading all these nasty posts to you and apologise for the writers on their behalf. You ARE entitled to your opinion – that IS what makes this a free speech country to begin with. I tend to somewhat agree with you (Not about DS kids ’cause most have been mainstreamed and taught to serve some function) but about some children who are so severely handcapped that they will never be able to function without help. My husband teaches these types of children (example: one student was born with 1/2 a brain and would consistently bang his head on the wall of the classroom without provocation) and he has loved and adored every one of his students including the violent one with half a brain. He, like most of your objectors, thinks everyone has a purpose in life and a reason for existence. I, myself, would have aborted a child (even at 9 months!) if I found out they were that severely handcapped and would be a leech on society. And we are happily married lol…. We allow each other to own their own opinions and do not try to enforce our own viwpoints upon each other. Maybe some of the people who have responded to your blog ought to try that sometime – the world would certainly be a heck of a lot more peaceful!

By: David

David — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:54:30 +0000

Hi Lunacie,

Thanks for a calm and intelligent comment.

> Who would pay for the testing?

I don’t think the testing is any more expensive than any of the other dozens of prenatal tests that mothers in Western countries undergo. If they are willing to do that much for the sake of their children’s health, I think they will do one more, now that it is safe and cheap.

>Who would pay for the therapy for the mothers who would be then be obligated to undergo abortion?

Therapy for what? And who suggested that mother’s would be “obligated” to have abortions? Abortion is a personal choice.

> Who says these kids/adults live horrible lives and must be spared?

No one, but I say that they would live healthier and happier lives – and so would their parents if they grew up healthy.