Monday, July 7, 2008

Doctoral student voices fears about devaluation of people with Down syndrome

A poignant essay appears in Newsday from Columbia University Teachers College Ph.D. student Valerie Karr, who studies international perspectives on the rights of persons with disabilities.

She discusses her fears about society's devaluation of people with Down syndrome given that 92% of unborn fetuses with Down syndrome are aborted. Here's her intro to her essay, but the entire piece is worth reading:

Last weekend at my favorite ice cream shop, I met an adorable 4-year-old boy named Sully. He had bright blue, inquisitive eyes, a happy smile and, judging from his telltale facial features, Down syndrome. Only weeks before I had read a staggering statistic: 92 percent of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome are now aborted. I don't normally get overly exercised about the issue of abortion, but this number struck me as I looked at Sully. With only 8 percent of prospective Down parents choosing to have their child, Sully may grow up with no peers to interact with in his life. Somehow, we are saying the lives of children with Down mean less than those of so-called normal children.