June 20, 2004
Brave New World
The Sunday New York Times has a long article about advances in fetal genetic testing and how more expecting parents are confronted with the option of terminating a pregnancy rather than having a child with a disability. I am pro-choice and I think the decision to have an abortion is always an intensely personal one, no matter the reason. Genetic screening will one day bring us to a point where it is exceedingly rare for a child to be born with a congenital disability. I don't see that as a good or bad thing; simply inevitable. I do think that many people underestimate the quality of a life that can be had with a disability, but I don't think anyone should be condemned for choosing not to raise a child with a disability. Lots of people in the disability community will disagree with me on this point and will say that every pregnancy that is terminated because of genetic screening further devalues the disability community as a whole. That's hyperbole in my eyes. My existence isn't cheapened by the private decision of a stranger. And disability as a facet of human experience isn't going away anytime soon. My life as a person with a disability turned out surprisingly well, but each circumstance is unique and some families may be better off not putting themselves to that test.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at June 20, 2004 04:12 PM
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Comments
Mark... I always love your fresh perspective on things..... I"m 100% pro-life, but your commentary made it a little easier for me to understand the other point of view. I'm happy though that your "existence" as you put it has been happy, and I hope that all of my students (I'm a special ed. teacher) will also have positive life experiences as they age! Thanks for keeping me up to date and giving me lots of things to argue with my friends about... your blog is by far my favorite to read!
nikki
Posted by: nikki at June 21, 2004 08:34 PM