Opinion | Prenatal Tests, Disabilities and the Decision Whether to Abort – The New York Times

Alexandra G. EllerCara C. HeuserSalt Lake City

To the Editor:

I want to thank you for publishing this article. As a parent of a 15-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, I couldnt agree more with Amy Julia Beckers view on prenatal testing. I had an amniocentesis test to confirm the diagnosis at 20 weeks and was very scared. I was determined to carry out the pregnancy despite my doctors options being heavily weighed toward termination, and I couldnt be more thankful for that choice!

The more we can educate parents on all the positive experiences that come from having a child with a disability, the better off our world will be.

Gretchen WhiteBuffalo

To the Editor:

Its not the prenatal testing system that is broken, but our culture and society. As the mother of a child with multiple disabilities, Down syndrome being one of them, I can attest to my sons good character and loving nature. My family is one of the lucky ones, yet other families fracture under the added challenges of a child with a complicated diagnosis.

At my sons school, special education teachers are not paid the same as their general education counterparts, and there are many open paraprofessional positions, because of low pay and no benefits. In addition, not every family has extended family members nearby who are willing and able to pitch in.

When families can better afford to care for children with disabilities and have enough support, and teachers and caregivers are paid well, then it will be easier for me to tell a family facing a prenatal anomaly, Youve got this.

Leslie NussValparaiso, Ind.

To the Editor:

Amy Julia Becker has raised a very important point. In selecting to abort abnormal fetuses (which in some cases are wrongly identified, which parents find out after their perfectly healthy child is born), we are creating a platform for eugenics. Most people would recoil at such a thought, but that is exactly what is going on here.

If the abnormalities would cause suffering for the newborn baby with no chance for survival or would endanger the life of the mother, then yes, sadly, the pregnancy should be terminated.

More:

Opinion | Prenatal Tests, Disabilities and the Decision Whether to Abort - The New York Times