In TCPalm.com, Stephanie Meredith challenges George Iliff’s call for broader use of selective abortion in cases of Down syndrome. Iliff wanted to avoid what he called “extreme hardship.” Meredith says public perceptions of Down syndrome are based on the experience of people who were institutionalized and deprived of education and health care. She says those perceptions do not reflect the lives of people today who have access to education, health care and community inclusion.

If Mr. Iliff truly seeks the “rational consideration of this subject,” then women should be given the opportunity to make informed decisions based on research rather than being subjected to emotional rants from either political perspective.

Meredith is an editor of this website. See her earlier letter here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at 5:24 am and is filed under Down syndrome, abortion, prenatal diagnosis, quality of life, stigma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post