Please Don’t Kill All The Unborn Down’s Syndrome Babies

D Stu
D Stu
Aug 24, 2017 · 5 min read

As a sophomore in high school, now more than 20 years ago, I took a men’s choir class. The class consisted of about 100 male high school sophomores. There was a young man in the class named David with severe developmental delays, not Down’s Syndrome, but significant learning and motor issues. The classroom in which we met had stadium seating and David sat toward the front of the class. There was always several minutes of chaos at the beginning of class as my peers arrived from different parts of the building and found their seats. On one occasion, during this initial chaos, some boys who sat behind David began throwing balled up pieces of paper into his unkempt hair. David only noticed it was happening when they would miss and hit him in the ear or sail one of these projectiles past him. I knew at the time that these guys were jerks, but as a new high school sophomore trying to fit in, I internally debated whether I should speak up and risk potential confrontation and humiliation at the hands of David’s tormentors. If our character is measured by how we treat those weaker than we are, my character would have been found deficient that day. I sat in my chair and said nothing. I knew what these young men were doing was wrong, but I lacked the moral courage to speak out. Not everyone in that class was a coward. The largest kid in the class — 6" 4' with a frame to match — stood up and told these persecutors, in words too colorful to repeat here, that their ability to eat solid foods would be in serious jeopardy if they continued to harass David. They stopped immediately and sat sheepishly waiting for class to begin. They never teased or bullied David again, he had found his champion.

I was reminded of this experience last week as I read about Iceland’s near eradication of kids with Down’s Syndrome via selective abortion of fetuses that test positive for the genetic condition. Only 2 or 3 children with Down’s Syndrome are born in Iceland in any given year. This is touted as success by the Icelandic government. Genetic testing is free of cost and the government encourages women to abort Down’s Syndrome children. This seems ghoulish to me and a number of other people have offered up reasons why this policy is wrongheaded, not the least of which is the moral crisis that selective abortion of kids with Down’s Syndrome presents. I agree wholeheartedly with these assessments, but I also think that an elimination of individuals with Down’s Syndrome is also a blow to our collective character as human beings.

It took me a number of years after I finished high school to develop the character to stand up to bullies and protect the weak in the face of potential confrontation and humiliation. I suspect that most of us didn’t have a fully developed character in high school. Young adults are not known for their wisdom and foresight or for their ability to navigate moral conundrums. The presence of those with Down’s Syndrome and other disabilities can accelerate that character development and moral fortitude. I’ve seen this happen. In the church I attend with my family there are a number of children with disabilities, Down’s Syndrome included. There is one particular young man named Jack whose Down’s Syndrome tilts toward the more severe variety. He struggles to communicate and requires almost constant supervision. This is in contrast to several of the young men in my church who are healthy, independent, and athletic. They are popular in school and run in the right social circles. I watch these boys each week take care of Jack with a tenderness and compassion that is generally unexpected in teenagers (perhaps my expectations are low based upon the type of teenager I was). They hold Jack’s hand and lead him to Sunday school, they invite him to sit next to them in meetings and other church activities, they give him warm embraces and treat him like a true friend at high school football games and school activities, they include him in their inner circle. Their love for Jack is genuine, they would never think to tease or make fun of him. He is one of them despite his genetic condition.

I was brought to tears several weeks ago when I witnessed one of these boys, whom I had always considered to be aloof and cocksure, pull out a handkerchief and wipe the drool off of Jack’s chin. These boys, in their adolescence, have a compassion and empathy that I did not develop until I reached my twenties. I have no doubt that these young men would stand up for David if they were in my shoes two decades ago. I have no doubt that they have already protected their own Davids, it’s evident in the way they treat Jack. I wonder if they would have developed this character if they didn’t know Jack and didn’t have the chance to interact with him? I wonder if my large friend from so many years ago had a Jack in his life that compelled him to speak up when he saw David being picked on?

Jack doesn’t care about these boys’ social status or popularity, he loves them regardless because that’s what kids with Down’s Syndrome do, they love. They exude kindness and joy. Their hearts seem to have an almost infinite capacity. In turn, these wonderful young men love Jack. From a certain worldview, there is no reason for these young men to befriend Jack, indeed, I’m certain that such a friendship carries an unfortunate stigma in certain social circles. They love him anyway. In return he has changed the way they treat those around them. He has strengthened their character and moral courage.

That is what we will lose by eliminating all the unborn children with Down’s Syndrome. We lose a small part of our collective conscience that allows us to feel compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than we are. We lose the opportunity to learn to love from those who have an unbridled capacity for such. We lose the development of that part of our character that tells us it’s the right thing to stand up to those who would take advantage of the Davids in our world. We lose a little part of our collective soul. That’s not the world I want to live in.

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Written by

D Stu

Father of four (and change). Wannabe writer.

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