Every pregnant woman who gets a positive prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome should see this video (h/t: Jay):
Despite the headway we’ve made in trying to accommodate the needs of disabled persons in the world so that they too can have a place in the community and enjoy many of the same opportunities as others with no physical or mental handicap, there is still a general belief that the lives of these disabled people are devoid of much happiness or pleasure. Why else would roughly 90% of parents choose to kill their unborn children who are prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome?
The truth is that, in the midst of the many hardships that come with disease and disability, there is still plenty of opportunity to really enjoy life. You just have to be willing to see it.
Previous posts:
I Enjoyed Every Minute of It!
People With Disabilities Can Live “Normal” Lives
Life is Worth Loving
Life is Worth LIVING!!
Helping Disabled Children to Live
Better Off Dead?
2 Comments on “Meet Patrick Thibodeau”
I actually doubt that parents who abort Down Syndrome babies are thinking of the child at all. They’re thinking of themselves.
Is raising a child with Down Syndrome difficult? I’m sure it is (as if raising a “normal” kid isn’t!). But as anyone who knows a child with Down Syndrome is aware, they are as delightful, loving, and lovable as any other child — and certainly just as human.
Thank you for the post.
You’re exactly right, Bob. I should say “there is still a general belief that the lives of these disabled people and their families are devoid of much happiness or pleasure.” See my post Life is Worth Loving for a link to a beautiful testimony of a father of a child with Down syndrome.