Clicky link: Pro-Life Alaska Governor Has Down Syndrome Baby

Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, has been under a bit of scrutiny for her Down syndrome baby, Trig. Quite apart from giving him a name which, while being Nordic, still sounds like a school subject he'll never be able to take, she also elected to finish the pregnancy rather than aborting him when testing showed he was a Down's baby.

Some call this a political move, some call it heroics. While nobody will ever know for sure what influence her political campaign may have had on her choice to keep the baby - though chances are fifty/fifty - I'm going to have to argue with "heroics."

The above article says, "Unfortunately, because of early screening, more children with Down syndrome are aborted and fewer and fewer are being born."

How is the lowered rate of births of flawed human beings "unfortunate"? I don't believe that all fetuses with Down syndrome need to be aborted on sight, but I can hardly call it a bad thing when some of them are. Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder - that's right, a DISORDER. It's not regular or normal, it's wrong. That's why it has carriers. Nothing good has "carriers". Nothing.

Semi-eugenics thinking aside; what about the good of the child? Have you guys seen some of the shit that goes WRONG with these babies? Goddamn, the health problems of a lot of Down's kids are just phenomenal. I, personally, wouldn't want to put a baby/small child through the pain, suffering and surgery often required to correct these issues. It's possible that they wouldn't even be able to understand what was going on, depending on the severity of the mental retardation. It would be cruel. Nor would I, as a mother, want to see my child go through a lot of the things Down's kids have to go through health-wise. From a monetary standpoint, not everyone can afford the surgeries and treatments that may be necessary.

For the good of the baby, I'd be very likely to abort.

As of 2002, around 93% of fetuses diagnosed with Down's were terminated. I consider this to be a bettering of the species by one way or another. I also find it to be the mother's choice. Who's some random activist to say that another person HAS to have a retarded baby? (Don't get pissed off, guys; it's an appropriate word, not an insult. If you disagree, crack a dictionary for once.) I'm sure anyone who wants to abort a Down's fetus has their own reasoning, and it's up to them what they decide to do. All the picketing in the world doesn't make it YOUR uterus or YOUR fetus, or your choice.

So, back to the kid. "We feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives." Right, because God gave your kid Down syndrome as a GIFT. How thoughtful. Maybe for Christmas he'll send you some cancer in a gift-wrapped box. I love the way people seem to think Down's is the most awesome shit they've seen since a goddamn lava lamp.

Your kid has an extra chromosome. It's not a gift, or a blessing. It's a chromosomal disorder. You wouldn't call Treacher Collins a fucking gift (unless you're a huge retard). You wouldn't call Fetal Alcohol Syndrome a gift. Don't pretend Down's is a gift. Better yet, try explaining to your poor fucking kid that their mental and physical disability is a fucking blessing. I'm sure that if they could, they'd be more than willing to regift it.