Search Results: having an abortion

#Abortion #DownSyndrome

Due to recent advances in pre-natal screening, the number of preborn children with Down Syndrome that are aborted is on the rise, which has created a lot of controversy. About 92% of pregnancies in Europe with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome are terminated. In the United States, termination rates are around 67%, but this rate varied from 61% to 93% among different populations.

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder in which a person is born with an additional chromosome—47, when most babies are born with 46. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial features and mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Most individuals who have the disorder are some of the most happy-go-lucky people you will ever meet, eager to learn, date, get jobs, etc, just like everyone else. They can live very fulfilling and productive lives.

Having grown up with a sister who is both mentally and physically handicapped, I personally could not imagine having an abortion if I found out the baby had Down Syndrome. However, I can also understand why some women would chose this option.

If you found out you were having a baby with Down Syndrome, would you get an abortion (Men: would you encourage your girlfriend/wife to get one)?

Personally, I wouldn't do it but I wouldn't judge someone else for having one. Maybe it was the best decision she could have made at the time for herself.