Unending right to be born

“My Son with Down syndrome is not a mascot for abortion restrictions,” by Rachel Adams, professor of English at Columbia University and mother of Henry, a son under 10 with Down syndrome, voices (as a Public Voices Fellow) her defense of Henry’s value to his family and society, and has written a book about him and her experiences as his mother.

She deplores the misinformation given to prenatal mothers of babies with Down syndrome, the money poured into genetic testing and the slashing of services to people living with disabilities.

However, she then proceeds to attack legislation designed to save the lives of babies with Down syndrome as something that can “trivialize the efforts of self-advocates” and that it is “not a way to save lives.” To defend women’s right to abort a child with Down syndrome when she does not feel prepared to raise her child ignores the fact there is a waiting list to adopt these children.

Indeed, resources should not be slashed for support services for people with Down syndrome. Rachel commits to genuinely end discrimination against people with Down syndrome and “put resources into services and supports that improve the lives of people with Down syndrome and their families.”

Surely, that fight should preserve the right to be born in order to thrive.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Unending right to be born."