| GENETICIDE |
The accusation sounded like an insult and I wasn’t going to take it lying down. One website about Down syndrome
claimed that allopathic physicians (M.D.’s like myself) studied the syndrome only to achieve earlier detection rates, in
order to perform earlier abortions. So I started doing my own research. And it’s true. If you have access to Medline,
type in “Down syndrome” and see what you get. It’s ugly, very ugly.
In the United States, 80% of children diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome are aborted. Why?
• Because that child may be an inconvenience to the parents? Of all my children, Jon is the easiest to take care
of because he is so happy and undemanding.
• Because a person with Down syndrome is a burden to society? In Wisconsin, Down syndrome children are
entitled to four hours of therapy per week, usually conducted in school. However, children with autism are entitled to
40 hours of therapy per week, at home and at school. The vast majority of children with Down syndrome grow up to
have jobs and some even attend college. There are authors, actors, motivational speakers, and musicians with Down
syndrome. Please see our related links for more about this.
• Because an abortion would preclude extensive medical procedures? Please understand this: early detection is
based on GENETIC information, NOT on the physical manifestations of the disease! In other words, there is no way to
tell at the “abortable” stage whether the child will require extensive medical care or not. Rather, the decision to abort
is based solely on having that third 21st chromosome. I call this atrocity “geneticide” or killing off a whole segment of
the population based on genetic structure alone.
The implications of this are tremendous. The Human Genome project has shown that several diseases and
syndromes are genetically based. If we find that the predisposition to autism is genetic, will we encourage abortion?
What about schizophrenia? Or depression? We know that breast cancer and certain leukemias have genetic
components. Can we save that person future medical expenses and suffering by aborting early? Can we prevent that
person from becoming a burden to society later in life? And the obvious is true, too: certain genetic diseases and
syndromes are related to race.
True to our philosophy, we cannot just share this information with you without letting you know what to do next. First,
show others. Print it out or direct others to this website. Let your elected representatives know. If you know any
parents who have a fetus diagnosed with Down syndrome, give them support and love. If you are such a parent, do
not let your doctor hypnotize you into thinking that your only options are either abortion or living with an
"inconvenience." Relay this information to your pastors, priests, and rabbis. And pray for a renovation of our nation's
collective heart: geneticide is a horribly slippery slope on which we will all stumble and fall if it isn't stopped NOW.
claimed that allopathic physicians (M.D.’s like myself) studied the syndrome only to achieve earlier detection rates, in
order to perform earlier abortions. So I started doing my own research. And it’s true. If you have access to Medline,
type in “Down syndrome” and see what you get. It’s ugly, very ugly.
In the United States, 80% of children diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome are aborted. Why?
• Because that child may be an inconvenience to the parents? Of all my children, Jon is the easiest to take care
of because he is so happy and undemanding.
• Because a person with Down syndrome is a burden to society? In Wisconsin, Down syndrome children are
entitled to four hours of therapy per week, usually conducted in school. However, children with autism are entitled to
40 hours of therapy per week, at home and at school. The vast majority of children with Down syndrome grow up to
have jobs and some even attend college. There are authors, actors, motivational speakers, and musicians with Down
syndrome. Please see our related links for more about this.
• Because an abortion would preclude extensive medical procedures? Please understand this: early detection is
based on GENETIC information, NOT on the physical manifestations of the disease! In other words, there is no way to
tell at the “abortable” stage whether the child will require extensive medical care or not. Rather, the decision to abort
is based solely on having that third 21st chromosome. I call this atrocity “geneticide” or killing off a whole segment of
the population based on genetic structure alone.
The implications of this are tremendous. The Human Genome project has shown that several diseases and
syndromes are genetically based. If we find that the predisposition to autism is genetic, will we encourage abortion?
What about schizophrenia? Or depression? We know that breast cancer and certain leukemias have genetic
components. Can we save that person future medical expenses and suffering by aborting early? Can we prevent that
person from becoming a burden to society later in life? And the obvious is true, too: certain genetic diseases and
syndromes are related to race.
True to our philosophy, we cannot just share this information with you without letting you know what to do next. First,
show others. Print it out or direct others to this website. Let your elected representatives know. If you know any
parents who have a fetus diagnosed with Down syndrome, give them support and love. If you are such a parent, do
not let your doctor hypnotize you into thinking that your only options are either abortion or living with an
"inconvenience." Relay this information to your pastors, priests, and rabbis. And pray for a renovation of our nation's
collective heart: geneticide is a horribly slippery slope on which we will all stumble and fall if it isn't stopped NOW.
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| Columnist George F. Will writes about the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' assault on Down syndrome children. The link to the right will take you to his original article. |
Click on the logo above to read the May 9th,
2007 article in the New York Times about the
ACOG recommendations and Down syndrome.
2007 article in the New York Times about the
ACOG recommendations and Down syndrome.