I got these back to back on my facebook feed. Now, I haven't read the Atlantic article, and also it was written in 2020 and not as a response to this couple, but clearly the Atlantic is reposting it with an incendiary pull line to capitalize on this couple's story.
And the pull line is ridiculous on its own, regardless of what context I'm missing from the article. Down syndrome is not an inherited trait like red hair or brown eyes. It's chromosomal abnormality. Talking about it like there's some kind of movement trying to "wipe out" a group of people is so intellectually dishonest. Down syndrome is not an ethnic group, and one woman aborting is not a call to murder all living people with Down syndrome.
It's just so woman hating. Why shouldn't a family decide what's best for the health of their family and child? I don't know of this couple, even if they are cringe influencers, I think it's so brave to share their story and it's helpful to women and girls to hear it. Despite the hate that is being directed at this couple, I hope they realize they are helping normalize this conversation and this choice.
To be fair enough, I decided to read the article, and I got to the pull line. The context is bizarre!
So, in Western countries people with Down syndrome have the best resources available than ever before, but it's the also the "worst time" because many people are simply not being born? Huh? They're just not being born, not experience worse things than before. People are trying to "eliminate" Down syndrome because of the individual choice to abort, but not, uh, the collective choice to give those who are born with it the best possible life they can? Life expectancy going up does not change the face that you might have to bury your child before they're 40 or 30 or 20. School is not necessarily affordable, and school existing does not mean your child will be capable of it. A child in and out of the hospital getting heart stints is not the preferable way to live for a child or a parent. Can both choices not be from a place of love?
This argument makes no sense unless every Down syndrome child must be born. And so then why shouldn't every child be born? There's just no way around it, if you argue this way, you must ultimately think there is no reason "good enough" for abortion.
Living, breathing people need resources. Abortion does not take away from that. If anything, it helps.
