If you found out your unborn child had Down Syndrome would you abort?

@Hayley_N (525)
Argentina
July 5, 2008 3:12pm CST
I have thought about what I would if this happened to me and I was just wondering what other people would do. I read online that 91-93% of pregnancies that are diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted. Would you abort it or would you want your wife/girlfriend to? Thanks and please be honest.
4 people like this
24 responses
• United States
5 Jul 08
To be honest yea i would... Those kinds of thing i believe in aborting... I believe in abortions in certain extense like if you were rape and you got pregnant i would most def. abort... If my child had some type of chromosome dyfentsionsy i would abort.. I couldn't afford to have a child that had a chromosome problem.. do you know how expensive it is to send them to school specialy made for them.. I don't wanna see Crowle but would abort but that is my opionion
@kerriannc (4279)
• Jamaica
5 Jul 08
Don't you believe in miracle. So you are going to look at the cost of living for the child who has not even born as yet and decide then and there that abortion is the key. Suppose this will be your only child what will you do then. Abort it and never to have another. Sometimes we has human get test from God and we need to think before rushing to things.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
6 Jul 08
Wow... selfish thinking on your part pixiedust... Is it about the money, because what if you had a healthy child and then the unexpected happened, like what if your child developed cancer? Or something like Autism? You don't put a price on a child, it's priceless. But I am curious... what if your child was born healthy and then developed something later down the road... would you give the child up for adoption?
• United States
6 Jul 08
Absolutely not! I don't believe in abortion unless it is necessary, like a rape or if the mother's life is in danger due to the pregnancy. A friend of ours has a down-syndrome child who is going into the 8th grade and he is the most lovable and kind-hearted child I have ever known. I would suggest to any mother that is actually thinking about aborted a down-syndrome child is to really think about what you are losing, a piece of you. It would be a very difficult situation then I think?
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 08
I also think Down Syndrome children are lovely. If a pregnant woman doesn't know any Down Syndrome children perhaps she should be allowed to meet some. Often people are most afraid of the unknown.
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
5 Jul 08
That would be a tough decision. At first I thought I would atleast carry it to term and put it up for adoption. I don't think my marriage would stand up to the stress of raising a disabled child. it is stressful enough raising a healthy child. But then I would worry that putting a baby up for adoption with down syndrome wouldn't be the best choice either because what if no one wants to adopt the baby because it has down syndrome? I think that abortion might just be the best option. There is truth in the fact that it is ending a life, but what kind of life would it be?
• United States
6 Jul 08
You read my mind. Lots of disabled children go unadopted because of their disabilities. Most adoptive couples only want normal healthy children and not children with disabilities. What kind of life would a disabled child lead if they go through life without love because no one wanted to adopt them? I mean I commend families who adopt kids with special needs but not everyone wants to. Adoption is also a hard decision. A birth mother who isn't emotionally and financially capable enough to raise a disabled child and she gives her baby away just like that. She will never know if her child is taken care of and she will cry and miss her child everyday. Therefore, sometimes a woman considers pregnancy termination as the best option for them. Whatever choice a woman makes, we shouldn't judge her because we are not the ones who will be raising their offspring. This is why I'm pro-choice. However, I wouldn't tell a woman to have an abortion. Every woman makes the best decision for herself.
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
12 Jul 08
I think that the test that is offered in pregnancy can tell a chance of the baby having Down Syndrome. To get any degree of certainty invasive tests would have to be done. I would say no to having these tests done. I would just wait and see if my baby had Down Syndrome or not. I would not choose to abort for I don't agree with abortion. However everyone is different and so I can understand some people would choose to abort a Down Syndrome baby. At 36 weeks pregnancy I was told my baby had Spina Bifida. We were upset and shocked about this. I planned a home birth and after our son was born he went to an intensive care baby unit for three weeks. He had two operations and since he was born he has had to have catheter care. He goes to a playgroup for children with additional needs. One little boy there has Down Syndrome and he is a lovely child. I have taught two children with Down Syndrome and liked them. They have their difficulties of course but a Down Syndrome child will be loved if the parents give them a chance to be born.
@Giacomand (104)
5 Jul 08
I would abort it, I wouldn't want a living human being to come into this world and not be able to experience the most out of it. (I also believe that babies only have souls, and etc, when they come out of the wound.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
6 Jul 08
Someone with DOwn Syndrome could have a happy outgoing life... maybe even more fun then your life right now.... so if that is your excuse.... your selfish..... educate yourself more.
@lee136 (2)
• Canada
30 Dec 08
I would abort no question. It's a personal decision but there are too many things in my life that would be compromised by having to take care of such a child, too many things I would have to sacrifice. We have only one life and I believe we should make decisions logically and rationally so that we relieve burdens rather than create them. Sacrificing yourself too much produces regret and I want to minimize all regret in my life. Act on logic not on emotion, live for yourself first than for others. And no that's not selfish.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
6 Jul 08
Why would someone want to abort a child with Down Syndrome? I think using the excuse "My unborn child has Down Sysndrome and I want to abort it." ........... is flat out selfish. I wouldn't have an abortion at all, but I know that is another topic, but for someone to actually want a child, but then to find out later the unborn has Down Syndrome and then decide to abort.... just not right.... I would like to know the reason why someone that wanted to have a child up until they found out it had Down Syndrome and then abort it.... I want to know why they would choose to abort..... People hear the words "DOwn Syndrome" and then they just assume something awful.... Educate yourself people.....
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
6 Jul 08
This is a tough question. There were small indicators with both of my children prior to being born that can be attributed to Downs Syndrome and the decision was made to not even undergo intrusive tests to be certain; let alone abort! Both of my children are perfectly fine. I would like to think that even if we had of done the more comprehensive tests that we would have still progressed with the pregnancy. A life is a life and a child is a child. They deserve the right to live their life. In the overall scheme of things I am neither pro or anti-abortion and believe that under the right circumstances it all comes down to choice. I personally would prefer to not consider it unless there were extenuating circumstances. I don't consider Downs Syndrome to be one of these circumstances.
@SHAMRACK (8576)
• India
6 Jul 08
Dear friend, May be I will not abort unless it is a matter of life either to baby or mother. I just thought that if this baby was born better and a worse disease or any other comes could we kill that baby will it become a murder or crime. Why should we do kill it within the mothers womb just to get away from the law. I hope for me I may not abort the baby. Nobody can guarantee that the mother would become pregnant again. I would request the doctor to deliver that child more over making sure that the life of both child and mother will not effect. Anyhow anything can come after the baby grow up too. Hope then an abortion of born baby or grown up baby becomes crime.
• United States
6 Jul 08
I would not abort, kids with down down syndrom can do alot of things a normal kid can do. they can lead fufilling lives and still bring happyness, and most of all it is MY kid. apart of me. I could never do it...
• United States
6 Jul 08
Not at all. I would have the little one and raise and love it. I am pro-choice, but that would happen to be mine.
@dhangski (3194)
• Philippines
6 Jul 08
If ever I found out that my unborn child had Down Syndrome, I wouldn't take the courage to abort it. Every child has the right to live, whether they are normal or with disabilities. They are a gift from God, an angel that has been given to me. If ever, I would keep my child, and give the best love and care that a mom can ever give. Keep posting! HUGZ!
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
6 Jul 08
No matter how hard it would be , I would keep my baby , and try to give him , or her the best life possible . There are many good schools out there , and I am sure I would have support , and a helping hand .
• United States
6 Jul 08
well i was in that situation once before and i was so scared because there was a chance that my son could have had down syndrome. and if i didnt want to keep the baby i could have put him up for adoption or aborted him. honestly my first thought was to abort, because i knew that if i had carried the child for the full term then i would have kept him. i had some time to think about it and the reason i decided to have the baby was because 1. i had already grown attached to the baby and i didnt want to abort. and 2. i knew that if i gave him up then i spend my whole life wondering where he was and if he was ok. and i felt like if a stranger could take care of a child with down syndrome then why couldnt i? so i decided that i would keep it. when i had my baby every part of his body and mind was healthy. there was nothing wrong with him.
@janisvg18 (181)
• Singapore
6 Jul 08
When I was pregnant, my OB-GYN asked me if I wanted to take the Triple Test (not sure if that's what the test is called). It's to test if the baby has any genetic problems and check if the baby has down syndrome. It's not part of the routine pre-natal blood tests. Then she told me that if the baby has down syndrome, she said I have the option to abort the baby. If I'm not going to have the baby in case the baby has down syndrome, then might as well not proceed with the test. My husband and I discussed this. And we both agreed not to abort the baby even if we found out that the baby has down syndrome. Actually I don't need to wait for my husband's decision (& I don't need to ask him about it at all). We'll accept with al our hearts whatever God will give to us. :) The next check-up was my blood test. So the doctor told me if I want to proceed with the triple test. I told her no, since we'd still continue with the pregnancy even if the baby has down syndrome.
• United States
5 Jul 08
I think that would be terrible. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with a child with down syndrome. Sure your life will be a little stressful the first few years, but you'd miss out on what they would have to offer. My mom works with types like this so I have been around people with all sorts of handicaps from a very early age. And I think it's fascinating how they perceive the world.
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
5 Jul 08
When I had my last child I was in my late 30's so they wanted to test to see if the baby would likely have down syndrom. We said we did not want the test, because it didn't matter what the test said, we would still have the baby no matter what.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
5 Jul 08
The only person I knew of with Down Syndrome in school was a guy but I didn't see much of him. I don't believe in aborting a child and especially not for this. My fiance's mother babysits and one of the children she babysits has Down Syndrome. We've gone to the house she babysits at twice before and the child is just as loving as ever. I don't believe that a mother should ever make that choice and the father should never force it upon her. Have a Great day.
• United States
6 Jul 08
I would not abort. I have a brother with Down Syndrome and i consider it a gift to have him in my life. Plus there are serval different levels of Downs so the child could be perfectly fine and just have Downs or like my brother(the other extreme) and be mentally retarded as well. I dont think its right to abort any handicapped child because i know that there are people out there that will adopt them.
• United States
6 Jul 08
That is an intense question and I honestly don't know. I personally dont really like abortion but I never judge others for what they do for their own personal reasons. Sometimes it is justifiable. But I cannot say that I would or would not keep the child because oftentimes we think we know what we would or wouldn't do until we are faced with the reality of the situation. I would just pray and hope to gain some clarity about the situation.