tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post116128312341548631..comments2024-01-26T10:20:37.836+00:00Comments on Diary of a Goldfish: Prevention better than the cure? #2The Goldfishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-14881758287464118022007-03-28T13:48:00.000+01:002007-03-28T13:48:00.000+01:00My son has Down Syndrome, and I can tell you now t...My son has Down Syndrome, and I can tell you now that he is more 'normal' than 'abnormal'. He is a very happy 10 month old baby, loves to laugh, clap his hands, and play peek-a-boo. He has reached his developmental milestones on target with typical children who do not have DS. Most people with DS do not have severe disabilities. I am a public school teacher; If every woman who got a diagnosis that their child would be disabled/delayed to some degree terminated, half of my 22 First Graders would have never lived. I know that the decision to terminate a fetus diagnosed with DS is a personal one, but most women will make this decision as a result of dated/negative information, and ultimately, fear.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-1161433862467530882006-10-21T13:31:00.000+01:002006-10-21T13:31:00.000+01:00Thanks folks,Mary, I do sympathise with that. And ...Thanks folks,<BR/><BR/>Mary, I do sympathise with that. And I would fight for your right to be able to make certain choices about that. This post was more about the unspoken influences at work and the ideas which some people tend to take for granted... if that makes any sense.The Goldfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-1161375401069999262006-10-20T21:16:00.000+01:002006-10-20T21:16:00.000+01:00Speaking as one who would be a disabled parent...I...Speaking as one who would be a disabled parent...<BR/><BR/>I am not going to start trying for a baby until I am sure that I have reached a level of managing my illness whereby I could accomodate the needs of a baby and the needs of an energetic toddler. This would include dealing with periods of acute illness.<BR/><BR/>However I would need to think very hard about whether I would be capable of properly looking after a child who was born with a severe disability, which could be described as comparable to acute illness in a "normal" child - but permanent.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11639094548415759560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-1161311360308745322006-10-20T03:29:00.000+01:002006-10-20T03:29:00.000+01:00For my first two babies, I refused all testing dur...For my first two babies, I refused all testing during pregnancy. Many friends thought I was being foolish. "What if something's wrong?" But I figured, what if it's perfectly healthy, then is deprived of oxygen at birth? Or what if it's born fine, then something happens shortly after birth, or at any time in its life. There's no guarantees. Life's a page-turner, and parenting has its own set of plot twists.Sagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14481252201307998355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-1161297741832340712006-10-19T23:42:00.000+01:002006-10-19T23:42:00.000+01:00It is unsettling to realize, that had one's impair...It is unsettling to realize, that had one's impairment been detectable pre birth, ones parents might have chosen to terminate the pregnancy...<BR/><BR/>Life with impairment is better than no life at all.<BR/><BR/>That seems simple, but so difficult for some able to grasp.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-1161285285625874092006-10-19T20:14:00.000+01:002006-10-19T20:14:00.000+01:00Friends in the obstetrics game have told me that t...Friends in the obstetrics game have told me that they have noticed a shift in the reactions of parents over the past few years, to the news that their child is disabled in some way.<BR/><BR/>Many parents are now <I>angry</I>, because they feel that "they have done everything right" from pre-conception onwards, and have thus acquired almost a right to a perfect child; it must be someone's fault that same had not been delivered according to spec.<BR/><BR/>I am, of course, speaking only of parents in the developed west; most of the world doesn't have these privileges.<BR/><BR/>One wonders how this will affect the children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com