Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Lets consider the obvious factors. We have the technology to detect genetic "defects" in the womb. Down Syndrome fetuses are aborted with some regularity by parents not willing to do with the challenges involved.
I have known some down syndrome kids and adults and they are very sweet spirits. They are as valuable as anyone else. They were made special and we will never know if we are entertaining angels as God speaks of.
I just find this post incredibly cold and mean spirited. I hope for your sake you don't have a child or family member that isn't 'productive' - or better yet that those who are connected to you are there for you more than you would be there for them if you become 'unproductive' which is entirely possible ie.. genetics or an external occurrence that forces you into disabled territory.
I am neither cold nor mean-spirited towards those with cognitive disabilities. I have worked with them in the past and will work with them in the future. That does not preclude me from giving honest assessments of their potential and other issues concerning resource allocation with respect to this population. We spend an obscene amount of money on trying to get kids with IQs in the 60s and 70s to understand things that children with IQs in the 90s and 100s struggle to understand. If you wish to call this "cold," so be it. To compound it, taxpayers pick up much/most of the tab for families that could otherwise pay for these additional, special services. I am not okay with that. I believe in the greatest good for the greatest numbers, and I see resources squandered that could otherwise help many, many, many more average kids. My preference would be to get these kids the most basic of skills so that they can have the greatest degree of independence possible when they leave school. For many, they will still have very little independence.
Why are we spending so much on boomers and their medical care? If anyone is a non-productive drag on society it is people over 65. If we have money to waste on them, we certainly can afford to provide for those born with Down Syndrome.
I don't accept the premise of defining a person's worth by their economic benefit to society. That said, I can give any number of ways boomers benefit society, starting with their consumption, which helps fuel the economy. If someone insists on reducing this to such terms, the undeniable truth is that folks with Down Syndrome and other sever cognitive disabilities will indeed be an economic drag for the entirety of their lifetimes.
As I noted before, there is an element on this board that has no problem declaring entire groups they don't like as economic drags and degrading them, yet when this issue of the disabled comes up and it hits a bit close to home for them, they suddenly become advocates for the human dignity of individuals, regardless their economic worth. Interesting.
I have not personally been confronted with the reality of my own child having Down Syndrome, and refuse to pass judgement on how other parents make such decisions for themselves and their family.
One aspect of parenting a child with Down Syndrome that has not been raised yet is the fact that these children can have significant health issues. Half of all children with Down Syndrome have congenital heart defects, and a slew of other medical issues, including a higher risk of childhood leukemia.
I just find this post incredibly cold and mean spirited.
I'm try and be a practical and reasonable person and avoid basing decisions on emotions. When a school district is spending 2, 3... 5 times as much on a special needs student that money would be better spent on the best and brightest students we have.
I'm try and be a practical and reasonable person and avoid basing decisions on emotions. When a school district is spending 2, 3... 5 times as much on a special needs student that money would be better spent on the best and brightest students we have.
That is the problem, you are thinking without your emotions. One must take in all their senses (including emotion) to make the best decision.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
