Abortion: the Greatest Destroyer of Peace

And another form of eugenics

Photo by Fé Ngô on Unsplash

If you speak to the parents of children with Down Syndrome, most will attest to words akin to this.

I’m sorry. Your child has Down Syndrome.

Having taught many DS students, I have often been troubled by this response, mostly because it often comes from professionals in the medical field.

Is that the best they can do?

In some countries, young parents, and maybe not so young, are often encouraged to submit to testing for DS, and if the results are positive, they are advised to abort.

“Iceland is known for its rugged landscape, rich Viking history, and progressive social politics.

“But the Nordic island nation has another lesser-known distinction: There is next to no one in its population with Down syndrome.

“The explanation has been well documented. In Iceland, upwards of 85 per cent of women elect to have prenatal testing, and close to 100 per cent of pregnancies where Down syndrome is diagnosed are terminated.

“Denmark isn’t far behind, with a termination rate of 98 per cent.”

Two things about that worry me.

• The positive results are not always 100% correct.
• And why do we need to abort a perfectly good human, who just happens to have an extra chromosome?

Putting myself into the shoes of parents who have just received a diagnosis, I’m pretty certain the decision to abort would not ever be made lightly.

But what does it say about us as humans and our willingness to end a life that could have been a happy and productive one?

Many are!

Also, if we’re looking for perfect humans, is this the way to find them? Do you personally know of these nebulous creatures?

In the past, children with disabilities, DS in particular, were hidden away. I knew of two who’d be peeking from the curtains of their homes when I was walking to school, and I’d wonder what kind of life they led.

I was both afraid and simultaneously sorry for them.

Contrast that today with the many DS students you and I personally know, and the many who have gone on to lead astoundingly productive lives.

*One young woman, an artist, has her paintings printed on T-shirts which she sells.*

She makes her own business decisions, she drives her own car, she thanks customers for their business, hand-written, and she’s full of fun.

A number of them are models, some movie stars, some actors, and then others make biscuits that you have probably eaten.

“Collette DiVitto, a 31-year-old born with Down syndrome, turned her passion for baking cookies into a profitable business. So far, she has sold more than 500,000 cookies.”

These people are successful actors, and yes, they are very successful.

Let me also state I have never taught or had friendships with a DS person I couldn’t love and respect.

Which leads me to my title regarding eugenics.

“[Eugenics is the ideology that human populations should be “improved” through social policies, ](http://“Eugenics is the ideology that human populations should be “improved” through social policies, such as selective breeding — encouraging people with “d)such as selective breeding — encouraging people with “desirable” traits to have children while discouraging those with “undesirable” traits. It’s a coercive ideology. It involves people in positions of power making value judgements about which traits are desirable or not, and so who is deserving of reproduction or not, and it inevitably leads to human rights abuses.”

Imagine that … people in power, coming from the perspective of their personally possessing desirable traits, being allowed to bear children, as opposed to those who don’t make the cut, not being fulfilled through parenting children.

That could be any of us, given we’re not in power.

“Yet some people with Down syndrome have earned university degrees, performed on multiple instruments at Carnegie Hall, designed successful fashion collections, served in public office, won awards for playwriting and acting, and, as recently as November of last year, completed the Ironman triathlon.

“*In 2017, a Special Olympian testified before Congress, “I am not a research scientist. However, no one knows more about life with Down syndrome than I do. I am a man with Down syndrome, and my life is worth living. I completely understand that people pushing this particular ‘final solution’ are saying that people like me should not exist. But seriously, I have a great life!”*

If we are looking for perfection, we will spend a whole lifetime doing so and never find it.

Perfection simply cannot exist.

I see eugenics as imperfect people, who really have no understanding of their own imperfect selves, trying to create a higher society replete with what they see as problem-free humans.

The fact is that we simply can never know.

I find the ‘science’ of eugenics horrific and distasteful, and though we may think it has been binned, I suspect it’s still here, veiled but still lurking.

I’ve concentrated on DS for this particular post, but it has relevance for anyone seen to be ‘wanting’.

Take Nick Vujicic, an Aussie, born without arms and legs, yet he’s better educated than many, happily married, has four beautiful children, has a wicked sense of humour, and travels the world as an inspirational speaker.

We have much to learn from the Nicks of this world.

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