During World War II, Nazi Germany enacted laws aimed at eliminating those with birth defects, considering them inferior and insignificant. Fast forward approximately 90 years to today, and the shocking reality is that similar actions are presently occurring throughout the developed world. However, the current tragedies are not transpiring due to government enacted laws but rather as a product of personal choices and medical myths.
In Iceland, nearly 100% of expectant mothers carrying a child with Down syndrome choose to have an abortion. Thousands of pregnancies are terminated in other parts of the world, including the U.S., as well due to this malady. Regardless of pro-choice or pro-life stances, many are rightfully outraged over the recent reports and are actively working to counter the negative stigmatization those with the developmental disability face from both the establishment media and health officials.
According to a recent CBS story:
The number of babies born with Down syndrome has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland.
The term "eradicate" is most often used to refer to destroying something unfavorable, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary. Eerily comparable to Nazi eugenics, the establishment media seems to celebrate the rate at which the disorder is being eliminated via abortion across the world, including in the U.S., where the frequency is approximately 67%. Furthermore, Down syndrome is not
heritable. Instead, the cause is a genetic mutation on chromosome 21, meaning that abortion is not a cure but rather merely decreases the number of those birthed with the disease.
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins made headlines in 2014 for his controversial statements explaining that knowingly giving birth to someone with the congenital disability may be “immoral from the point of view of the child’s own welfare.” As found in the CBS interview, even religious officials in Iceland support the measures taken against the disability, declaring that they diminish suffering. However, the belief that all with Down syndrome withstand extreme pain and are unable to experience joy is a myth.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the life expectancy concerning the genetic abnormality has only recently increased to 60 years of age. Indeed, the impairment entails heightened probabilities of heart and gastrointestinal defects, mental retardation, leukemia, spinal problems, dementia, and other illnesses compared to the general population. As explained by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), however:
Though people with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for certain medical conditions, advances in healthcare and treatment of these conditions have allowed for most individuals with Down syndrome to lead healthy lives.
NDSS also notes that people with the disorder make significant contributions to society, very often attend secondary school, and hold a variety of employment positions. Seemingly, the high abortion incidence across the world associated with the diagnosis stems from dangerous misinformation that those with the impairment cannot attain substantive lives.
Continuing to terminate babies with Down syndrome raises the critical question of what will be the next dysfunction attempted to be extinguished? Will all children with developmental disabilities, such as autism and others, start being eliminated in mass? Moreover, genetic assessments are often incorrect. According to Scientific American, prenatal examinations are only precise 65% of the time, but most gene-screening companies intentionally deceive the public by claiming the accuracy rate to be much greater at 95%. These statistics imply that erroneous results have led to the loss of thousands of healthy unborn babies.
The termination frequency concerning the congenital dysfunction goes beyond the pro-choice and pro-life debate. Everyone, including health officials, must first understand the condition and its symptoms to take part in a constructive conversation. Many with the illness enjoy their existence, form meaningful relationships, and contribute significantly to society. Viewing an individual as more than a product of the disorder is the first step to ridding society of the harmful stigmatizations and enabling citizens across the world to make a more knowledgeable decision regarding whether or not to birth the child.
What are the thoughts of our readers? Is aborting babies with developmental abnormalities a well-formed conclusion?
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