A World Without Down's Syndrome in Voices Windward
- Oct. 12, 2016, 3:41 p.m.
- |
- Public
Just watched this rather fantastic doc by Sally Phillips looking specifically at the screening of Down’s Syndrome and the terminal rates that result (9 in 10 in the UK and 100% in Iceland) …
Raises some powerful questions about the ethics of scientific advancement in context of social ethics.
Currently it seems that we - and the NHS most certainly - have a very bigoted response to DS based of ye olde worlde thinking and that currently we have a very low threshhold in the “quality of life” question.
It seems that many mothers (parents) are being pressured into believing that the increased requirements and stresses of their child having offspring are intolerable and that the child wil never be happy.
The same issues faces the blind, deaf, limbless and so on, let alone those with neuro divergance or mental health issues.
It’s concerning because we’re at the stage where we have commercially viable DNA mapping of the unborn and the screening out of unwanted traits is already begun… next step is the clearly eurgenic policy fo genetic favouritism and aethetic vanity.
This is before we engage in genetic augmentation.
I believe in technology, whole heartedly, I am a extremeist for advancement often putting it before many other issues, but we cannot take these leaps and bounds without developing a society built on compassion with an appropriate care response.
The question ” Have you thought about your down’s childs healthcare after you die” should never come up, as it’s obvious that our egalitarian society will support them and help them (as it should all people) pursue happiness and self fullfillment.
NO ONE IS A BURDEN
Click here for the Iplayer link
Last updated October 12, 2016
Hotaru ⋅ October 12, 2016
Saw you on the front. My youngest daughter was born with unilateral hearing loss and has been wearing a hearing aid in her left ear since she was three months old. I take it a little personally when people start talking about aborting babies because of genetic defects. We haven't pursued genetic testing for my daughter, but it is most likely that her hearing loss is genetic. And it makes me sad that there might be a future where babies like my daughter might never be born because they aren't perfect. My daughter is four now and unless they see her hearing aid no one knows there is anything different about her.
Rhizic Hotaru ⋅ October 18, 2016
xxx