Christ Almighty. I hate that the world is a place where people have to write something like this - that they are able to write this because it was true.
Wow, I'm not too sure what to think on this. I can empathise with people who say that they'd have aborted their child if prenatal testing had been available (all but one parent of severely autistic children I've spoken to have said this), but I'm reluctant to say that autistic people "should" have been aborted - maybe the divide between the two isn't as wide as I want to think it is, maybe I'm trying to deceive myself. And that's never a good thing.
There's a lot of issues. I just cannot imagine being told your parents would have aborted you if they knew. But am I saying they should have lied to their daughter? Also, the writer of this is not severely affected... can we say somehow that it's ok to say that about a severely affected child but not a mildly affected one? Is it okay to abort a child who will certainly be 'autistic' without knowing what severity they will be affected at?
The reason I just posted 'wow' is because I just don't know what to think, or where I stand. I suppose in the end it's the issue of where life begins. If you consider the people who are here with us, it nearly always seems wrong to say they would have/should have been aborted. But when it's not a person that you've known and loved, it's an unborn child... it's not so clear.
Christ Almighty. I hate that the world is a place where people have to write something like this - that they are able to write this because it was true.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I'm sorry to depress you by sharing it, it just seemed like I had to share it...
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm not too sure what to think on this. I can empathise with people who say that they'd have aborted their child if prenatal testing had been available (all but one parent of severely autistic children I've spoken to have said this), but I'm reluctant to say that autistic people "should" have been aborted - maybe the divide between the two isn't as wide as I want to think it is, maybe I'm trying to deceive myself. And that's never a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of issues. I just cannot imagine being told your parents would have aborted you if they knew. But am I saying they should have lied to their daughter?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the writer of this is not severely affected... can we say somehow that it's ok to say that about a severely affected child but not a mildly affected one? Is it okay to abort a child who will certainly be 'autistic' without knowing what severity they will be affected at?
The reason I just posted 'wow' is because I just don't know what to think, or where I stand.
I suppose in the end it's the issue of where life begins. If you consider the people who are here with us, it nearly always seems wrong to say they would have/should have been aborted. But when it's not a person that you've known and loved, it's an unborn child... it's not so clear.