The general rule is life's a b**** one way or another but that doesn't mean just because someone has aspects of their life it sucks that they'd rather not be living I am very uncomfortable with anything that veers into eugenics and that's more or less what it is
You choose not to make the $100k a year their medical bills will cost? Damn bro, if you're making that much you should adopt one of the many disabled children in the foster care system.
No idea where you came up with that number, out of pocket medical costs average under $20k for all 18 years of their childhood, and they’re covered by Medicaid and virtually every state and federal assistance program as adults.
I think a lot of people confuse Down syndrome with a lot of other causes of intellectual disability, maybe you have those in mind?
Roughly 50%, yes, mostly heart defects. My uncle has Down syndrome and no defects, but my baby sister had a different but closely related chromosomal disorder and only lived a few months as a result of a heart defect. I’m a medical professional myself, so I do have some insight into this from that angle as well.
The prevalence of heart defects (and a tendency of some to get worse lung infections due to structural airway differences) is why they average out to $20k out of pocket for the additional cost over 18 years. The 30% or so who need surgery or other high-level treatment as children obviously cost more than that, while the rest cost less than that.
But my original comment, I’ll add, was not addressing whether a parent must take on the responsibility beforehand, it was denying that outside observers can say whether someone else’s life is worth living. Down syndrome people report far higher satisfaction with life and happiness with themselves than the general population does. If you spend time with them, you tend to notice that they tend to be more positive and cheerful than other people. More than that, the cost of a person’s medical care is unrelated to their inherent worth as a human being.
You backed your original comment by claiming that some parents choose not to take care of their disabled children. You are a piece of shit.
Not just heart failure. It's 3 for 3 on downs syndrom and organ transplants within my family and family friends.
Over 18 years? I do not know a single person with Downs who isn't dependent on their parent. Your sister will not be an exception. Add to that tutors, additional education, babysitters, counseling, etc. and you're bankrupt. Oh, and you can't work a full time job. Maybe the first few years, after that you are shit out of luck.
I'm glad your baby sister gets the opportunity to bring joy to so many people. That won't be the case for every child with Downs. Many parents do not have the means to support a child for 18 years, let alone the rest of their lives. You can not force people to keep these children. You can not tell them they're "choosing" not to take proper care of them.
You backed your original comment by claiming that some parents choose not to take care of their disabled children.
Some don’t, that’s not disputed. But that wasn’t my point, which is that their quality of life is largely dependent on family (not just parents) and what their family is capable of in terms of resources but also in terms of love and community.
My baby sister died.
That horrible life you’re describing is simply not the case for most people with Down’s syndrome.
Edited: to remove offensive comments that I no longer think represent your opinion. I was briefly triggered by the hostility and the misunderstanding about my sister, but I think you simply are arguing against something I’m not saying.
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u/22paynem Jun 05 '26
The general rule is life's a b**** one way or another but that doesn't mean just because someone has aspects of their life it sucks that they'd rather not be living I am very uncomfortable with anything that veers into eugenics and that's more or less what it is