Columnist Alasdair Palmer writes in the [UK] Telegraph that prejudice persists against people with Down syndrome, even as medical and educational advances have vastly improved their quality of life in recent decades.

Palmer says people with Down syndrome used to be routinely institutionalized, and  “written off as hopelessly stupid and as incapable of benefiting from any form of education.” Now, thanks to the availability of education and health care, he says, thousands of people with Down syndrome in the UK are leading satisfying and productive lives within their communities.

Palmer favors allowing abortion as an option but says prospective parents must be given accurate, up-to-date information about Down syndrome as they consider prenatal testing. “What is wrong is rather that the process includes nothing at all which suggests that having a child with Down’s need not be a disaster; it can be a rewarding experience,” he says.

The column was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the cause of Down Syndrome by French geneticist Jerome Lejeune.

See also: Hope for Down syndrome — Times of India. Experts say 98 percent of children with Down syndrome in India have no access to education.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 6:19 am and is filed under Down syndrome, abortion, discrimination, politics, prenatal diagnosis, selective termination. 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.