Strollerderby : down's syndrome

In Which I Find Myself in Rare Agreement with Sarah Palin (sort of)

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:54:00 GMT

Researchers at Stanford University are working on a new prenatal screen for Down's Syndrome that would be based on a maternal blood test rather than amniocentesis, taking the risk to the fetus out of the process. I fully support women having as much prenatal information as they can get. I fully support a woman's right to decide whether or not to carry any pregnancy to term. So this new test is good news.

But I wish that good information about and services for people with Down's Syndrome was growing as fast as technology to test for it prenatally. I worry not that "unborn children" will be aborted, but that fear about Down's, leading to fewer Down's births will in turn lead to less exposure to people with Down's in society, leading to...less understanding about and more fear of Down's.

The easier it becomes for typically abled people to avoid getting to know people with disabilities, the less understanding there will be of them, the less accommodation will be made for them and the smaller the range of human experience society will find acceptable. While it is every woman's personal decision to raise a child with a known disability or not, I think more would probably choose to do it if we as a culture were not so filled with fear and loathing of anyone with physical or mental ability that falls outside an ever narrower range of "normal."

I may be in the minority, but I believe people with Down's Syndrome are part of a complex range of human variance and humankind would be poorer if no more people with Down's Syndrome were ever born. Medical testing is helpful. But I hope that as a society we can expand our understanding of who is fully human to include those people with Down's who end up in our midst anyway.

Image: Huffington Post

Redefining Death to Preserve Life

Down Syndrome Teen Elected Prom King, Goes to College

Can a Presidential Candidate Be a Family Man?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:30:00 GMT

I can’t help noticing that the announcement of McCain’s vice presidential pick has conveniently upstaged all reports of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (which you can watch here).

While I, too, am shocked and fascinated by the fact that McCain’s running mate is an inexperienced, staunchly anti-choice woman whom only he’s only met one time, let’s not forget to keep our eyes on Obama and Biden.

Much of the reports on Palin have focused, on the one hand, on her decision not to abort her child with down’s syndrome (if this makes her a hero, our nation has set the bar abysmally low), and on questions about her commitment to her five children, including an infant, on the other hand. So, if we’re going to judge Palin’s parenting record, what do we know about Obama’s? Obama has repeatedly urged parents to be more involved in their children’s lives, and his own interactions with his daughters Sasha and Malia indicate that he is truly a devoted, loving father.

This short video from the DNC shows the Obama family chatting, albeit in a very stilted environment. While the strong love amongst the Obamas is clear, one could argue that the children of any presidential nominee will inevitably suffer as their parents are consumed by the campaign. What do you think—is it possible to compete for the White House while putting your children first?

Photo: BrotherPeaceMaker

Cosmetic Surgery for Down's Syndrome Baby

Madeline Holler — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:17:00 GMT

This feels wrong to me. But maybe I'm missing something. So, please, tell me why I shouldn't think that these parents of a daughter with Down's syndrome are superficial, unintentionally cruel and deeply, deeply in denial.

The mother and father of 2-year-old Ophelia Kirwan have considered sending their daughter under the knife to fix her appearance, which shows all the characteristic signs of being born with Down's syndrome as Ophelia was. The parents think her facial features will set her apart from her peers and keep her from being "accepted" by society.

No word on the girl's current level of acceptance by her own parents.

Anyway, it's possible this isn't as drastic -- or unexpected -- as it may sound, at least to me. Because Dad is a world renowned plastic surgeon and Mom has been surgically enhanced any number of times herself. Maybe this is how the family connects.

In the blunt terms of the industry, surgery would correct the following problem areas: "eyes slightly wide apart, flat nasal bridge, thin lips, tongue that sticks out, thick neck".

But why change her at all? Will Ophelia even care? Will she fool future bosses? And isn't facial surgery painful?

From the Daily Mail:

Her mother Chelsea said: "It just isn't right that Ophelia and others like her should be judged on how they look - particularly if they are turned down for a good job that they could handle.

In their defense, they aren't scheduling procedures anytime soon. Because how frightening and painful would that be for any kid? (Not to mention unethical.) The father said he'd make the decision if the toddler reached 18 years old and he deemed that she had been unfairly judged.

If the Kirwans go through with it, they wouldn't be the first parents to do so. Another London couple took their 5-year-old daughter with Down's Syndrome in for surgery. The couple debated for a year before their girl got the following alterations:

... her tongue was reduced to stop it protruding. Then, folds of skin were removed from the inner corners of her eyes to take away the "slantiness" characteristic of Down's syndrome. Finally, she had surgery to stop her ears sticking out.

These couples say they are motivated by love. But why does it seem like their motivated by their own vanity and shame?

I'm willing to be wrong on this, so tell me what you think. Am I missing the point? Aren't these kids too young? Do they care? Will this help end prejudice against people with Down's syndrome?