Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Social Abortions for Cleft Affected Babies

This is shocking news to me! Not only have I come to adore the perfect cupid's bow lips of repaired clefts, there is something outrageously joyous about the huge grin of children whose clefts are still part of their beautiful faces.

Social Abortions for Cleft Lip ????? It is an outrage, and nothing short of murder for doctors or parents to choose to just be rid of their baby as late as 28 weeks gestation if a cleft lip or palate appears on the ultrasound. (I have a 12 year old who was born at 28 weeks and survived and thrived quite well so there is no argument about viability)

What is happening in our world? Do babies have to be judged by a standard of perfection to be allowed to be born? And then what? What if they manage to be born and then develope ADHD, diabetes, anxiety, stomach problems? Should we expect to see children given a trial run and then tossed away if they do not meet or exceed our expectations of perfection?

This article infuriates me and I'm off to research it more fully.

2 comments:

Karin said...

How upsetting to see such a story when one's heart is filled with love and anticipation for a little one with this very condition. You have every right to be furious. Things like this are just the precursors that set things like designer babies in motion, nothing irks me more than that. Part of the journey of life is life itself with all it's unpredictabilities. Like you said anything can happen over life's course, you can't just hit rewind or erase when you don't like something.

Frita said...

Absolutely shocking! I was floored reading this as well as the info that the number of aborted babies due to down syndrome has caught up with or surpassed the number of live births? It does leave you to wonder what is going on in the world nowadays?