Top Canadian MD worried about Palin’s impact on abortions
September 11th, 2008From the Los Angeles Times and the [Toronto] Globe and Mail:
Andre Lalonde, executive vice president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), says he is concerned that abortions in the case of Down syndrome may decline as women follow the example of Sarah Palin. Palin’s infant son Trig was born after she received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. From the Globe and Mail:
As a vocal opponent of abortion, Ms. Palin’s widely discussed decision to keep her baby, knowing he would be born with the condition, may inadvertently influence other women who may lack the necessary emotional and financial support to do the same, according to Lalonde.
Dr. Lalonde said that above all else, women must be free to choose, and that popular messages to the contrary could have detrimental effects on women and their families.
The SOGC last year issued a recommendation that all pregnant women be offered screening for Down syndrome. It is estimated that 90 percent of women in Canada who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome decide to abort their pregnancies.
Krista Flint, executive director of the Canadian Down Syndrome Association (CDSS), said doctors generally paint a very dark picture of life with Down syndrome during prenatal diagnoses. The CDSS has challenged the ethical implications of the recommendations by the obstetricians’ group.
“We know overwhelmingly the message families get is ‘Don’t have this baby, it will ruin your life,’” Flint says. “And I don’t think people would look at Sarah Palin and see a ruined life. Regardless of politics, I think it’s a good example.”
See earlier post: Airbrushing away diversity — Ottawa Citizen
UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times notes in a ‘For the record’ item that its story noted above “mischaracterized” Dr. Lalonde’s comments. The item says Dr. Lalonde was not concerned that abortions in general would drop as a result of Sarah Palin’s candidacy. Rather, he was concerned that “that women would be influenced by Gov. Palin’s decision to keep Down syndrome children that they were neither emotionally nor financially prepared to care for.” The Times story noted above has been removed from the newspaper’s website.
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September 13th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Re: Down Syndrome and Sara Palin,
Perhaps those misinformed in Canada, (land of my grandparent’s birth,), should visit the Museum of Science in Boston, where my oldest son recently viewed a display on the study of cancer and Down Syndrome.
Ironically people with Down Syndrome DO NOT get adult cancers, and trust me, as the mother of an 11 1/2 yr old daughter with D.S. who is also a luekemia suvivor, I became all too familiar with the link between cancer and D.S. Some of these studies began in Toronto. Wouldn’t it be ironic if indeed the cure to cancer were found in Trisomy 21?
I hope one day my sons will live to see that but if indeed Down Syndrome is “wiped away”, as my son’s fear may happen with the trend to abort those less than perfect, we may be robbing ourselves of the greatest opportunity to find a cure to one of man’s greatest afflications. (remember you can’t see autism and other conditions on an ultrasound!)
So I applaud Mrs. Palin for not aborting her son and hope that she can help fuel this study which has the potential to not only save thousands of lives but millions of dollars in medial costs….and we know that in Washington D.C. and all across our nation, economics rule…for better or worse.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Zarrella, R.N.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
So when Medicine is Nationalized, Abortion is Rationalized as the More, the Better? If that’s the case Canada is a sick, sick society.
Physician, first, heal thyself. Get educated, too. Children with Down syndrome have many societal benefits — strengthening marriages and families, being super reliable workers, and bringing love into their greater communities.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
the dr. in that article is a despicable.
but the comments to the 1st article make me sad too with all the liberal bashing.
saying liberals and the left are baby killers and would like to abort all children with down syndrome.
i see this everywhere now in almost all the articles i read on down syndrome.
i am a liberal and i am pro choice.
and i willingly and happily gave birth to my daughter who has down syndrome.
but i feel so unwelcome and maligned in this world which spouts love for my daughter and such hate for me, the liberal…
liberals are NOT the enemy.
we are not one size fits all just like people with down syndrome are not one size fits all.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Dr. Lalonde seems to dance right up to the issue before stopping short. Is it fair to combine both his desire to preserve a woman’s choice and a preference to spare parents of emotional and financial strain as a request to terminate Down syndrome pregnancies?
If pressed, I imagine this perspective isn’t meant to pressure all women with a prenatal diagnosis to terminate. However, now that Dr. Lalonde has established a criteria wherein termination should be carried out, where is the line drawn? Poverty income? Dual-parent household? Six-figure income? Age 33 or older?
More importantly, who draws that line?