George Will, on his son who has Down’s syndrome:
What did Jon Will and the more than 350,000 American citizens like him do to tick off the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists? It seems to want to help eliminate from America almost all of a category of citizens, a category that includes Jon.
I thought our modern, tolerant society was all about celebrating diversity and welcoming the differently abled. So how does this increased screening for Down’s syndrome fit in with that?
The life expectancy of people who have Down’s syndrome has doubled. People with Down’s syndrome grow up, live at home, hold jobs, pursue their interests.
But apparently that’s still not good enough. So they must be culled. (After all, it would be mean to put them in an institution.) Exactly what standard of convenience must unborn children meet to be allowed to live?
And as genetics grows more precise, will the standard of convenience rise?
“She’ll never be able to read or drive without intervention. She’ll have to be fitted for corrective lenses while she’s still in elementary school, and she’ll have to be checked every year to make sure the lenses still work. Of course, there’s always surgery, but… And then there’s the obesity problem. She’ll be teased… she’ll always struggle. There’s always surgery, but… And then the depression, that means constant vigilance, maybe even medication, and that doesn’t always work… Are you sure you want to put her through all that?”
In twenty years, will someone like me make the cut?