[dda]

A friend of mine, many years ago, had a child which had Down's Syndrome as well as a multiplicity of physical ailments. The child could have been kept alive (in all liklihood) for a relatively short life (say 20ish, the mother was told. However, she (it was a little girl) would still have been severely retarded and would still have had numerous physical conditions which would have limited her. To achieve this level of life, the child would have had to undergo numerous surgeries to repair her heart and her other internal organs.

The mother decided to forego the operations and the child lived a few weeks and died of the disabilities. It was one of the hardest things I have ever watched someone go through emotionally.

On the other hand, I have known many people who have had an abortion with hardly a second thought.

I don't know what this means but the emotional investment and the bonding which occurs between most parents and most children at birth or soon there after certainly plays a part in attitudes being different between the two types of death.

There is a genetic predisposition on the part of most humans to be protective of the young which is good for the survival of the species but is not a rational decision.

The problem with disabled children is who is to make the decision as to what constitutes a disability and who is to make the decision which children to kill? Those with gross deformities? Those with mental problems? Those feared to have predisposition to certain diseases?

As it is, with the easy availability of abortion, it is a wonder that most of GD has survived to this point.