[Faith-talk] FW: Disability Selected Abortions

Mon Apr 15 04:33:12 UTC 2013

Hi Bev.

They apparently can tell with at least some types of blindness.  I was
told to be sure and do genetic testing because I can pass my glaucoma
onto my future children.  Of course, I was 20 at the time and not even
thinking about children.  (I'm not now either.)  But I was enfuriated
because the doctor with whom I was speaking was clearly implying that
I would not have a baby with the same condition I have.  Still
frustrates me to be honest...  IMO, God doesn't make mistakes.  Even
blind people were created in his image.  :)

On 4/12/13, Bev <bev77 at mediacombb.net> wrote:
> I am wondering if current testing can even identify if a fetus were blind. I
>
> honestly hope not, because I'm sure if most people learned they were having
>
> a blind child they would abort it in a heartbeat given people's ignorance
> and fear of blind people in general.
>
> Bev
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Philip Blackmer" <pblackmer27 at gmail.com>
> To: "'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>;
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>; <humanser-request at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 7:24 PM
> Subject: [Faith-talk] FW: Disability Selected Abortions
>
>
>> Sorry I forgot to write my message before sending the last message.
>> While
>> this doesn't mention blindness it does talk about disabilities in general
>> and I wanted to know more about the situation especially where blindness
>> is
>> involved.  I also wanted to know if the NFB has any interest in
>> addressing
>> this issue.  I am not yet trying to push for any changes or for the NFB
>> to
>> take action.  Rather I want to know more about the complex realities of
>> this
>> issue.  Thanks - Philip
>>
>>
>>
>> P.S. the original message follows:
>>
>>
>>
>> Parents of unborn babies with disabilities often experience great
>> pressure
>> to abort
>>
>> Sarah Terzo
>>
>>
>>
>> Wed Apr 10 10:37 EST
>>
>> OpinionApril 10, 2013 (LiveActionNews.org) - Now that prenatal testing
>> can
>> so easily detect babies with physical and mental disabilities, more and
>> more
>> women are choosing to abort their children if something is wrong with
>> them.
>> For example, up to 92% of women whose tests show that they are carrying
>> babies with Down syndrome abort.
>>
>> Some women have successfully sued doctors for the "wrongful life" of
>> babies
>> who were born handicapped, claiming that their doctors should have
>> detected
>> the anomaly so they could abort. Perhaps this is one reason why many
>> doctors
>> urge their pregnant patients to undergo amniocentesis, a test which is
>> not
>> without the risk of miscarriage. Along with the pressure to undergo
>> amniocentesis comes the pressure to abort if the amniocentesis - or other
>> recommended prenatal testing - shows a problem.
>>
>> Parents are Subjected to Eugenicist Views and Urged to Choose Abortion
>>
>> According to one pro-choice author:
>>
>> Through the gradual introduction of new forms of technology and testing,
>> the
>> medical establishment and the public health sector have been developing
>> subtle quality-of-life standards and not-so-subtle ways of discouraging
>> the
>> birth of those who do not measure up. (1)
>>
>> Another researcher writes:
>>
>> The mere existence of a [genetic] technology contains an implicit
>> coercion
>> to use it[.] . Sometimes the coercion is more than implicit. (2)
>>
>> Some doctors oppose even allowing women to give birth to their
>> handicapped
>> children. Bob Edwards, the scientist who presided over Great Britain's
>> first
>> in vitro fertilization delivery, gave a speech at a fertility convention
>> where he said:
>>
>> Soon it will be a sin if parents to have a child that carries the heavy
>> burden of genetic disease. We are entering a world where we have to
>> consider
>> the quality of our children. (3)
>>
>> While it is impossible to know how many OBGYNs share this eugenicist and
>> elitist view, a number of women have experienced pressure from doctors to
>> abort their handicapped children.
>>
>> One women who found out she was pregnant with a baby with Down syndrome
>> recounted her obstetrician saying, "It could just be hanging off you,
>> drooling," while encouraging her to abort. (4)
>>
>> Another writer recounted the following:
>>
>> A woman I know was told by her obstetrician that her fetus had Down
>> syndrome. The doctor ordered her to abort, she refused. . Another woman
>> was
>> similarly coerced. Her doctor told her that her baby would be more like a
>> fish than a human and would only be as smart as a baboon. (5)
>>
>> The article this quote appears in talks about a study that found that 99%
>>
>> of
>> individuals with Down syndrome report being happy with their lives.
>>
>> Parents often experience great pressure without being told of the great
>> gift
>> they've been given.
>>
>> Parents Are Pressured to Make Fast Decisions While Their Children Become
>> Victims of Prejudice and Discrimination
>>
>> Women who are pregnant with disabled babies are often pressured to make a
>> decision quickly. This may be partly because some abortion providers
>> believe
>> that abortion becomes more dangerous the later in pregnancy it is
>> performed.
>> One abortionist claims that the risk of abortion complications increases
>> 20%
>> for each week of pregnancy that passes (6).
>>
>> Abortions for reasons of fetal anomaly are usually late-term abortions
>> because amniocentesis can be performed only in the second trimester, and
>> most disabilities are not discerned until midway through pregnancy. This
>> is
>> why many women who are carrying disabled babies have abortions in the
>> late
>> second or third trimester. (This may change with the advent of blood
>> testing
>> that can detect some abnormalities.)
>>
>> One study found that parents of babies aborted due to disability or
>> "fetal
>> anomaly" suffer depression and loss. Those who conducted the study said:
>>
>> Despite the shock and grief they may experience upon hearing the news of
>> a
>> fetal anomaly, the pregnant woman and her partner are usually urged to
>> make
>> the decision to terminate quickly. Behind the urgency is the physician's
>> desire to avoid complications of 'late' terminations of pregnancy.
>> Because
>> of the delays involved in amniocentesis, abortions may occur in the
>> second
>> and even third trimester pregnancy. In health care settings, the issue of
>> such late abortions has raised ethical and legal questions. In one early
>> study, most of the terminations occurred within 72 hours of the woman
>> receiving the news of the abnormality. This hardly allows time for the
>> couple to become informed about parenting children born with that anomaly
>> and thus considering carrying through with the pregnancy. (7)
>>
>> Rayna Rapp, who aborted a baby who was found to be handicapped, conducted
>> interviews with women who aborted due to their children's disabilities.
>> She
>> said of her research:
>>
>> New developments in reproductive technologies assist in the quest for the
>> perfect baby not only by genetically creating 'better' children but also
>> by
>> detecting and eliminating fetuses deemed abnormal and defective. In a
>> world
>> where babies are bred for desired characteristics, having a healthy,
>> normal
>> baby becomes nothing less than a duty. While it may appear that medicine
>> simply offers procedure such as diagnostic ultrasound, fetal
>> electrocardiography, and amniocentesis as options for those who desire
>> them,
>> the fear of producing a child that falls outside the boundary of 'normal'
>> compels many women to seek premonitory information regarding the status
>> of
>> the fetus. As one of [Rayna Rapp's] interviewees explained regarding her
>> tests, 'if he was gonna be slow, if he wasn't gonna have a shot at being
>> President, that's not the baby we wanted.' (8)
>>
>> Rapp reveals that simple prejudice against the disabled is a factor in
>> driving couples to abort their babies.
>>
>> Parents Suffer from a Lack of Accurate Information
>>
>> Along with prejudice against the disabled and pressure from doctors to
>> abort, another factor driving these abortions is that couples who face a
>> disabled baby are often given limited, one-sided information. Their
>> doctors
>> may overemphasize the suffering that handicapped children go through or
>> present the worst-case scenario. This may be because the doctor fears
>> being
>> sued or because the doctor has his or her own prejudices towards disabled
>> people. According to one woman who aborted her disabled baby and later
>> regretted it:
>>
>> We had only one isolated piece of information, not a whole crystal ball.
>> How
>> were we to know what would be best? .
>>
>> A person reeling from shock, numbed by a sudden catastrophe, cannot
>> think.
>> (9)
>>
>> In pressuring couples to make a decision quickly, doctors deny them the
>> opportunity to come to terms with the fact that their baby will most
>> likely
>> have a disability. When couples are given biased information and
>> pressured
>> to make a quick decision, they may not have the wherewithal or
>> opportunity
>> to do a great deal of research on their own. They may not have the
>> opportunity, for example, to thoroughly research the disability and talk
>> to
>> parents of children with disabilities. Many times, these parents would
>> encourage them to carry their pregnancy to term. In reality, many women
>> who
>> have their babies with disabilities are glad they did not abort.
>>
>> The mother of a five-year-old girl with a cleft lip and palate wrote this
>> letter to the editor:
>>
>> I was horrified to read that many couples now opt for abortion rather
>> than
>> risk having a baby with such a minor physical imperfection. My daughter
>> is
>> not some abnormal freak[.] . She can, and does, lead a happy, fulfilled
>> life[.] . What sort of society do we live in when a minor facial
>> deformity,
>> correctable by surgery, is viewed as so abnormal as to merit abortion?
>> (10)
>>
>> A beautiful gift.
>>
>> When radio show host Dr. Laura broadcast a call from a woman who aborted
>> her
>> baby with Down syndrome at 20 weeks, parents of handicapped children
>> wrote
>> her letters to express their disapproval. One man, the father of a baby
>> with
>> Down syndrome, said the following:
>>
>> Today, the 28th of March, I was listening to talk to one of your callers.
>> She recently had terminated the life of her child in her 20th week of
>> pregnancy and I believe the child's 20th week of life.
>>
>> The child's life was ended when it was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. This
>> really struck a nerve and infuriated me, as I and my wife have the honor
>> of
>> being parents to our 22 month son, Conner, with Down Syndrome, that along
>> with our other 2 children (a daughter 8 and a son 5) the joy and light of
>> our life. This person that ended the child's life has no idea of the joy
>> or
>> divine love that these special people possess. It is hard for me to
>> understand the callousness that she had about thinking that the child was
>>
>> a
>> mistake of nature and it was okay to terminate its life. I would almost
>> dare
>> say that it is our limited understanding of these special people that is
>> the
>> problem.
>>
>> I have often looked into Conner's eyes and have felt a true divine,
>> Godlike
>> love shining forth. I will be honest and say that our life has not been
>> changed by Conner. Unlike our other two children that walked before they
>> were one and talked by two and developed in what we understand as
>> 'normal'.
>> Conner has yet to walk on his own, but he does possess the ability to
>> brighten the darkest days we have faced.
>>
>> I would hate to think of life without Conner, he is the light in our
>> families' lives. Our other children think the world of him and I feel are
>> gaining a greater understanding and acceptance of 'ALL' people, unlike
>> the
>> caller today. She has missed a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow.
>>
>> These are the voices that parents considering aborting their children
>> with
>> handicaps need to hear. In pressuring these couples to abort quickly and
>> giving them one-sided information, doctors encourage these parents to
>> have
>> abortions which they may later come to regret. The opportunity to bring a
>> special and unique child into the world is taken away from these parents,
>> and the ultimate gift of life is taken away from their children.
>>
>> Sources:
>>
>> 1. Elizabeth Kristol. "Picture Perfect: the Politics of Prenatal Testing"
>> First Things 32 (April 1993): 22 Quoted in Paige Comstock Cunningham,
>> Esq.
>> "The Supreme Court and the creation of the two-dimensional woman" Erika
>> Bachiochi. The Cost of "Choice": Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion"
>> (San
>> Francisco, CA: Encounter Books, 2004)
>>
>> 2. Lori Andrews, Future Perfect: Confronting Decisions about Genetics
>> (New
>> York: Columbia University press, 2001), 63
>>
>> 3. Sunday Times (London) July 4, 1999 as reported in American Feminist,
>> winter 1999 - 2000
>>
>> 4. Jonathan Finer "Study: Negativity Often Tied to down Syndrome
>> Diagnoses"
>> Washington Post, April 29, 2005 A 3 Quoted in Ramesh Ponnauru The Party
>> of
>> Death (Washington DC: Regnery Publishing, 2006)166
>>
>> 5. Rebecca Taylor "99% of Adults With Down Syndrome Report Being Happy in
>> Life"LifeNews.com 10/6/11
>> (http://www.lifenews.com/2011/10/06/99-of-adults-with-down-syndrome-report-b
>> eing-happy-in-life/)
>>
>> 6. Dr. Henry Morgentaler, abortionist: press conference. Statement read at
>>
>> a
>> joint press conference with the Manitoba Coalition for Reproductive
>> Choice
>> in Winnipeg, Friday, June 23, 2000
>>
>> 7. Donnai P, Charles N, Harris R. Attitudes of Patients after "Genetic"
>> Termination of Pregnancy British Medical Journal 1981; 282: 621 - 622,
>> P622
>> in Elizabeth Ring-Cassidy and Ian Gentles. Women's Health after Abortion:
>> The Medical and Psychological Evidence Second Edition (Toronto, Canada:
>> The
>> deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, 2003) 159
>>
>> 8. Rayna Rapp "Moral Pioneers: Women, Men, and Fetuses on a Frontier Of
>> Reproductive Technology," and Hoffman et al., Embryos, Ethics and Women's
>> Rights, 110, from Kathy Rudy. Beyond Pro-Life and Pro-Choice: Moral
>> Diversity in the Abortion Debate (Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press,
>> 1996)
>> 11
>>
>> 9. "Brown, Judy" (pseudonym) The Choice. Journal of the American Medical
>> Association 1989, 262:2735
>>
>> 10. Susan Kitching, London Sunday Times, February 11, 1990
>>
>> Reprinted with permission from LiveActionNews.org. Sarah Terzo is a
>> pro-life
>> author and creator of the clinicquotes.com website. She is a member of
>> Secular Pro-Life and Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians.
>>
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-- 
Julie McG
National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16