— added by
Maddy on Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 11:48 am
Wow, that is fabulous. Thank you for writing such a wonderful essay!
— added by
Joeymom on Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Great column, Susan.
I’ve read that it’s still the case that 95% of trisomy-21 pregnancies (indicative of Down’s Syndrome) are aborted — despite what is now well known about the viability and quality of life of Down’s folks. All well and good to have informed genetic counseling in place, but I suspect that most often the decisions to abort are made as open-and-shut decisions, completely bypassing genetic counseling and what the prospective parents might learn to open and change their minds.
Woe unto us all if the current forms of “autism awareness” pushed by the big autism organizations such as Autism Speaks (and yes, also the Autism Society of America, with its misguided “Getting the Word Out” campaign as well, to which I am bitterly opposed even as I try to do my part to change ASA from within as a state chapter board member) continue to occupy mindshare and exert media clout, and we *do* discover prenatal markers for autism: the same complete bypassing of even the best-informed genetic counseling will occur, and so many pregnancies will be terminated in open-and-shut decisions by frightened prospective parents.
— added by
Phil Schwarz on Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 6:04 pm
After reading your article, and thinking about how things sometimes work, I have to wonder if there might come a time in the future when parents who choose not to terminate a n ‘at risk’ pregnancy would be denied services because they -chose- to have the ‘broken’ baby.
— added by
Zaecus Celestis on Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 6:36 pm
What a wonderful article you wrote! I had tears in my eyes by the end of it. I cannot envision my life without Nick. He has taught us so many things in his 3 short years, and is touching the lives of everyone he meets.
— added by
Amy on Monday, April 9, 2007 at 12:48 am
Well said again Susan. Genetic counseling is a scary prospect in some ways. My opinion on abortion wavered having a preemie as well.
— added by
Someone Said on Monday, April 9, 2007 at 6:36 am
Another great post. Kudos of course for plugging one of my favorite books (Expecting Adam). Everything gets a lot muddier and less clear when you have a child with special needs. My own value system has made a complete shift, right down to my political viewpoints. It’s interesting how that happens.
— added by
ASDmomNC on Monday, April 9, 2007 at 8:59 am
I loved this article–great job. Expecting Adam is one of my all time favorite books also.
— added by
Em's Mom on Monday, April 9, 2007 at 12:48 pm
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Thanks for the link.
Wow, that is fabulous. Thank you for writing such a wonderful essay!
Great column, Susan.
I’ve read that it’s still the case that 95% of trisomy-21 pregnancies (indicative of Down’s Syndrome) are aborted — despite what is now well known about the viability and quality of life of Down’s folks. All well and good to have informed genetic counseling in place, but I suspect that most often the decisions to abort are made as open-and-shut decisions, completely bypassing genetic counseling and what the prospective parents might learn to open and change their minds.
Woe unto us all if the current forms of “autism awareness” pushed by the big autism organizations such as Autism Speaks (and yes, also the Autism Society of America, with its misguided “Getting the Word Out” campaign as well, to which I am bitterly opposed even as I try to do my part to change ASA from within as a state chapter board member) continue to occupy mindshare and exert media clout, and we *do* discover prenatal markers for autism: the same complete bypassing of even the best-informed genetic counseling will occur, and so many pregnancies will be terminated in open-and-shut decisions by frightened prospective parents.
After reading your article, and thinking about how things sometimes work, I have to wonder if there might come a time in the future when parents who choose not to terminate a n ‘at risk’ pregnancy would be denied services because they -chose- to have the ‘broken’ baby.
What a wonderful article you wrote! I had tears in my eyes by the end of it. I cannot envision my life without Nick. He has taught us so many things in his 3 short years, and is touching the lives of everyone he meets.
Well said again Susan. Genetic counseling is a scary prospect in some ways. My opinion on abortion wavered having a preemie as well.
Another great post. Kudos of course for plugging one of my favorite books (Expecting Adam). Everything gets a lot muddier and less clear when you have a child with special needs. My own value system has made a complete shift, right down to my political viewpoints. It’s interesting how that happens.
I loved this article–great job. Expecting Adam is one of my all time favorite books also.