Were Nazis More Tolerant of Down Syndrome than Some European Countries Today?

Richard Dawkins lashed out at Pope Francis for the latter’s comparing modern eugenic efforts to Nazi precedents that sought to “create a pure race.” Dawkins fumed, “Abortion to avoid birth defects is not about eugenics. It’s about the avoidance of individual human suffering.” The Daily Wire observes: As noted by LifeNews, the “human suffering” that Dawkins refers to here is disingenuous, considering that many parents of Down children report loving their children and having much joy in their family. Dawkins advised such families to just “Abort it and try again” in 2014 when one Twitter follower asked what to do about her Down syndrome diagnosed baby. “It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice,” he said. The atheist lamenting about what’s “immoral” makes little sense. In Denmark, only four Down syndrome babies were born in 2016. In the neighboring country of Iceland, the eradication of Down syndrome babies has reached near 100%. France has gotten in on the race, too; most recently, the country banned a television commercial featuring Down syndrome children because it upset the mothers who previously aborted them.

I Am a Man with Down Syndrome and My Life Is Worth Living

Last week, the actor, Special Olympian, and advocate Frank Stephens gave this testimony to Congress: “I am a man with Down syndrome and my life is worth living.” In fact, he went farther: “I have a great life!” For those conceived with his developmental disability, it is the best and worst of times. “The life expectancy for someone born with Down syndrome has increased from twenty-five in the early 1980s to more than fifty today,” Caitrin Keiper writes in The New Atlantis. “In many other ways as well, a child born with Down syndrome today has brighter prospects than at any other point in history. Early intervention therapies, more inclusive educational support, legal protections in the workplace, and programs for assisted independent living offer a full, active future in the community.” But as she goes on to explain, “the abortion rate for fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome tops ninety percent.” In Iceland, nearly every fetus with the condition is killed. CBS News reports that “the United States has an estimated termination rate for Down syndrome of 67 percent (1995-2011); in France it's 77 percent (2015); and Denmark, 98 percent (2015). The law in Iceland permits abortion after 16 weeks if the fetus has a deformity––and Down syndrome is included in this category.” Many of those living with Down syndrome are understandably dismayed at the implication that their extra chromosome renders their life more trouble than it is worth.

France to Ban People with Down Syndrome from Smiling

Another big step was taken towards the mass persecution of children with Down syndrome. On November 10th, the French ‘State Counsel’ rejected an appeal made by people with Down syndrome, their families and allies to lift the ban on broadcasting the award winning “Dear Future Mom” video on French television. The ban was previously imposed by the French Broadcasting Counsel. Kids who are unjustly described as a ‘risk’ before they are born, are now wrongfully portrayed as a ‘risk’ after birth too. The video features a number of young people from around the globe telling about their lives. Their stories reflect today’s reality of living with Down syndrome and aims to reassure women who have received a prenatal diagnosis. The State Counsel said that allowing people with Down syndrome to smile was “inappropriate” because people’s expression of happiness was “likely to disturb the conscience of women who had lawfully made different personal life choices”. So our kids, whom studies from the USA and the Netherlands have proven to be much happier than the cranky, sulky bunch who go trough life without Down syndrome, are banned from public television because their happy faces make post-abortion women feel uncomfortable.

Couple sues and wins $2.9 million because they would have aborted their little girl had they known she had Down Syndrome

Isaiah Shilhavy
Health Impact News Editor Comments:
I have three children, all adults now, and my oldest has Down Syndrome. He is pictured above in a past competition for special athletes. He is an integral part of our family. We raised him at home, and he eats real food, the same food we sell to our customers. Even […]