Columnist: Daughter’s life is beautiful, not ‘compromised’
May 12th, 2009
In her new book, “Bad Mother,” author Ayelet Waldman says she had an abortion when she learned that her child would be born with an unspecified “trisomy.” Lauren Beckham Falcone, the mother of a 5-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, offers her response in a column in the Boston Herald.
An excerpt:
So there you have it. Another well-meaning, well-educated woman telling the world — in Time magazine, on NPR and in the papers and on the Web — she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t possibly disrupt the family, burden the kids, risk their marriage.
That’s her truth.
As someone who is raising “a genetically compromised child,” here’s mine:
… Lucy’s is a life worth living.
I was at Carney Hospital the other day when a nurse, Dottie, told me her brother has Down syndrome. He’s 45 and lives with her and her family.
“You are so blessed,” she called to me as we left.
Yes, we are.
(Photo of Lauren Beckham Falcone from the Boston Herald)
See also:
‘Bad mother’: Ayelet Waldman takes on the cultural disquiet over motherhood — Washington Post
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May 12th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
This is the first time I’ve heard of someone appearing to be proud of the fact that they had an abortion.
I’ve said this before, but I wish it was a requirement to meet my five-year-old daughter before you make a decision regarding aborting a fetus with a disability.
So many in our society take parenthood for granted.