In the wake of John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin, Jim Dwyer of the New York Times visits with some people who have firsthand experience with Down syndrome. Palin’s infant son Trig has Down syndrome, and was diagnosed prenatally.
Among the people Dwyer meets is fourth grader Catherine Emer Madden, who would have been “essentially written off educationally” not too long ago. Early education gave her the boost she needed to progress in school.
Catherine’s mother, Deirdre Featherstone, said that …
… no matter how the race ended, Governor Palin was on an extraordinary journey.
“If she’s afraid, there’s about a million of us who would cheer her on — it’s the best thing that is ever going to happen to you,” Ms. Featherstone said. “And I don’t mean the vice presidency.”
See also:
Sarah Palin’s baby puts Down syndrome in spotlight — Los Angeles Times:
As prenatal genetic testing has become more widespread, disabilities rights activists have grown concerned that children like 4-month-old Trig Palin will become an increasing rarity. Trig is the son of presumptive Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and he has Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality that affects about one in 800 babies born alive in the United States each year. A 1999 study found that 90% of women who learn their baby has the genetic abnormality chose to end the pregnancy.
But parents of children with Down syndrome have grown increasingly vocal about their choice to give birth to their babies, and to share the challenges and rewards of raising a child with a disability … With one in every 33 children born in the United States having some birth defect causing lifelong disability, a community also has sprung up to share information on the wide range of federally mandated educational programs and social services available to families.
Respect is a two-way street, by Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post:
… I had my children at ages 37 and 39, old enough that the risk of Down syndrome was elevated, as it was for Palin, and my doctor recommended amniocentesis. Had the results indicated any abnormality, I have little doubt that I would have made a different decision than did Palin. I have no doubt that such an agonizing choice should have been up to my husband and me, not to the government.
… I respect the Palins’ choices. I only wish they would show as much respect for others to exercise their own, free of government imposing it on them.
(Photo from Los Angeles Times)