Check out this article.

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Well, yep - I'm a right wing (well middlish right wing) Christian- and I think this is a horrible statement. Extremely reminiscent of "A Brave New World" and the movie "Gattaca".

Who gets to decide which birth defects are unaccetable? And at what point do we start considring things like poor vision to be a birth defect (like in "Gattaca)?

Plus I can't help but think of the many people born with birth defects like CP or missing limbs and such that have been a great contribution to society. We even have a man with no legs going to the Olympics this year!

My own son is autistic (Asperger's) - I imagine that most children under this spectrum would be encouraged for abortion, but we don't know why they are autistic. Too many of the high functioning kids are brilliant geniouses, so who's to say that this is not our next step in human evolution - and we just don't know how to communicate with them.

I just believe this is a very slippery slope to start heading down.

My favorite reply to that creepy letter was this one:

Posted by Veryconcernedmom on June 11, 2008:

My seven-year-old approached me yesterday. She was reading last month�s �Natural History� magazine, and wanted to show me an article on chromosomes because she knew I�d be interested. I beamed with pride. She�s so bright.

But as I read this man�s letter I suddenly panicked. Suppose that along with her brilliance she grows up to suffer from Intellectual Superiority Complex (ISC)? Worse yet, ISC is often accompanied by Compassion Deficit Disorder (CDD).

Though people with ISC and CDD often �pass� as normal and can be very productive, they often lead lives marked by an over-valuing of high IQ, an inability to appreciate all members of the human race, and can often make statements filled with callous disregard for the feelings of others (among other things).

I worried about her ability to appreciate the wonderful qualities in the people around her. As I thought about it, I realized that although there is no prenatal test for ISC or CDD, I can watch for early signs and focus my energies on making sure these issues don�t cause problems in her life.

Thankfully, she has a little sister with Down syndrome, who, along with the rest of our family, will help teach her that there is so much more to life than being a mensa member or collecting accolades.

The relief I feel knowing that I turned down all of those abortion offers now has a new dimension. My pre-schooler shows me on a daily basis that she is so happy to be alive. I see first-hand that there is so much more to �quality of life� than IQ or physical perfection, and thankfully have been able to see that my entire life thanks to a large and loving network of family and friends which have included quite a few people with disabilities.

It�s a shame that the author of this article missed out on the opportunities I and my children have in our lives. I hope he is able to get help with his ISC and CDD. I also hope he becomes a little more educated on the thought that only religious people would object to his views. Because I am not religious, that part of his analysis was particularly puzzling.

Personally the author of that article needs to spend time with a kid with autism or down syn. and then have to tell them he wishes they were dead. Seriously.

A friend of mine once remarked that some cranky person (described in detail) that she had met would be a much better person after spending only an hour or two with my young son, who was playing with toy cars just a few feet away from us. He looked up and said very thoughtfully, "No thank you, please."

He certainly had a point there!

It still makes me laugh to remember that.

PW

Welcoming Babies with Down Syndrome
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Hmmm, so all these healthy children make for happy families. I think their view is a little skewed. Each person has to make their own decisions regarding ANY birth of a child but to actively campaign for destroying "defective" children is a little out there. And this perfect person is probably kicked back waiting for the reaction. And I wouldn't want this person to spend time with any kid!

Yep. I think it's a waste of time to aim for perfection when it's so much more rewarding to have excellence as the goal - and the person with that point of view is way short of both.

When I am with my closest friends, it is not how they are perfect that makes me love them more, it's how they are perfectly themselves - and I'm amazed at how some of them 'confess' flaws that are only that because they have been described as shortcomings - but in regular life those flaws make a big positive difference in how everyone around them enjoys life more because they are there, just like they are and should be.

It's too bad we can't see our children like that, as they are growing up.