Some days I simply pause, completely perplexed at what current culture feels a need to next debate. Intelligent people on all sides of the aisle or all sides of something wrangle about all sorts of issues, each seemingly, boldly declaring that they represent the moral authority in the land. I see a world which is morally confused. And our intelligence has gotten in the way.<\/p>\n
As referenced here last fall, for example, in Iceland, doctors are now required to tell expectant mothers about an available screening test that can indicate the presence of Down syndrome in their baby. CBS originally ran this story under the headline \u201cInside the Country Where Down Syndrome Is Disappearing,\u201d omitting the reality that only live birth stats were decreasing due to abortion \u2014 not because fewer babies had the genetic disorder. Close to 100% of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in Iceland are now aborted.<\/p>\n
An entire people group is being eradicated because of who they are and how they are born.<\/p>\n
With the Icelandic development combined with already high American abortion rates when a baby is identified as having a third copy of chromosome 21, there has been a push in recent years for state legislatures to enact law which prohibits abortion based strictly on a Downs diagnosis. Indiana, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio have already passed such legislation, with Utah\u2019s legislature currently debating such a bill.<\/p>\n
And hence, we debate. We debate what\u2019s right. We debate who is right. And yes, sometimes intelligence seems to get in the way.<\/p>\n
A week ago, longtime, well-known Washington Post<\/em> journalist, Ruth Marcus, addressed the issue. Marcus is a woman the Intramuralist has long read and respected, as she is articulate, witty, and bright. She identifies as liberal with the Democratic Party (\u2026 and friends, for a more balanced perspective, please be reading people from both or multiple parties\u2026).<\/em><\/p>\n While I respect Marcus\u2019s support of abortion law, it was the following expression that made this parent pause:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 I respect \u2014 I admire \u2014 families that knowingly welcome a baby with Down syndrome into their lives. Certainly, to be a parent is to take the risks that accompany parenting; you love your child for who she is, not what you want her to be.<\/em><\/p>\n But accepting that essential truth is different from compelling a woman to give birth to a child whose intellectual capacity will be impaired, whose life choices will be limited, whose health may be compromised. Most children with Down syndrome have mild to moderate cognitive impairment, meaning an IQ between 55 and 70 (mild) or between 35 and 55 (moderate). This means limited capacity for independent living and financial security; Down syndrome is life-altering for the entire family.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m going to be blunt here: That was not the child I wanted\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n As a person who made the choice not to abort my child with Downs, I appreciate Marcus\u2019s admiration and respect. Now let me be blunt in response.<\/p>\n My child with Downs, Joshua, was not the child I wanted either.<\/em><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t want a son whose intellectual capacity was impaired, whose life choices would be different than mine, nor one who had to deal with a life-threatening heart defect. I didn\u2019t want that. For him or for me. In fact \u2014 let\u2019s get real here \u2014 I actually prayed<\/em> that Josh would not have Down syndrome.<\/p>\n But thank God sometimes His answer is different than we ask. I didn\u2019t know what I didn\u2019t know. I didn\u2019t know how much this young man \u2014 who yes, is different than me<\/em> \u2014 would teach me. I didn\u2019t know how much I could learn from one whose IQ is significantly lower than mine. I didn\u2019t know how impactful it would be to do life and raise a child with a disability. I didn\u2019t know how much it would change me \u2014 and yes, how much I would grow from being changed.<\/em> I had zero clue how vibrant the life and amazing the impact a person absent of high intellect could be.<\/p>\n The reality is that Josh is thriving. The reality also is that if I was not given the responsibility to parent young master Josh, I would know no more of life and God than I already do.<\/p>\n Thank God He did not answer my prayer the way I asked.<\/em>\u00a0Had Josh been any different, I<\/em> would not be different. I would have grown less.<\/p>\n Instead, I\u2019ve grown to be humbler, wiser, and far more empathetic and compassionate for others \u2014 for who they are and how they are born\u2026 all because of that one very special Joshua\u2026 that one extra chromosome\u2026 and a God who knew better than me.<\/p>\n Respectfully\u2026 always\u2026 Some days I simply pause, completely perplexed at what current culture feels a need to next debate. Intelligent people on all sides of the aisle or all sides of something wrangle about all sorts of issues, each seemingly, boldly declaring that they represent the moral authority in the land. I see a world which is … <\/p>\n
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