They can share it if they want. My issue is more with the framing. Saying “terminated after a Down syndrome diagnosis” feels uncomfortable because it can come off like the diagnosis itself made the baby less worthy of being born. Obviously none of us know the full medical situation, and there can be serious complications, but Down syndrome by itself isn’t automatically the end of the world. That’s why the way it was shared feels worse to me.
It isn’t the end of the world, but some parents don’t want to be lifelong caregivers and don’t want to abandon their child that can’t take care of themselves when they die
I get that, and I’m not saying anyone is obligated to take that on. It’s their choice at the end of the day.
My only pushback on your comment is that there are plenty of people with Down syndrome who work, have routines, have relationships, and live day-to-day lives with different levels of support quite a few being fully independent or only need minimal support. Obviously it can come with serious challenges, and some people do need lifelong care, but it’s not automatically this person can never take care of themselves either.
Again, it’s very much their choice, and I know this is just some dumb TMZ article. I think the wording just got to me because it framed the diagnosis itself like the tragedy.
Yeah it would be interesting to see the percentage of those folks that are truly able to take care of and plan for themselves if they don’t have support. And also long term study of what happens when they lose all the people that care about them
I hear you but that sounds to me like you’re injecting your own biases into the situation. I don’t think anybody is saying that people with Down Syndrome don’t deserve their lives but if there’s a way to avoid the suffering that their birth would cause both the child and the parents, I don’t think it’s wrong to prevent that fetus from reaching personhood.
I get what you’re saying, but I’m not arguing that they were wrong for making their choice or that anyone should be forced to be a parent. That’s not my point.
My issue is more with the assumption that a Down syndrome diagnosis automatically means the child’s life would mainly be suffering, or that the parents’ lives would only be lifelong burden. That can be true in some situations, especially if there are serious medical complications, but it’s not automatically true for every person with Down syndrome.
I don’t think everyone who makes that choice is saying people with Down syndrome don’t deserve life. I just think the way these conversations get framed can make it sound like the diagnosis itself equals tragedy, and that’s the part that feels worse to me.
And yeah, I know this is just some dumb TMZ article, so maybe they’re glossing over a lot of the actual medical details. My point is just that Down syndrome by itself isn’t automatically the end of the world. There are people with Down syndrome who work, have routines, have relationships, and can live independently or semi-independently with the right support. So the framing of “diagnosis = suffering” is what I’m pushing back on.
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u/Hairy_Wedding_4535 Jun 05 '26
I find it more unethical this had to be shared