What to do if you are an older expectant mother and asked if you want the Down's Syndrome Test
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/27/downs-syndrome-babies-motherhood
I would rather commit infanticide and put my hands up for it, just like the attention-seeking euthanasing travellers to Switzerland do, than
1) have an abortion
2) bring up a mentally handicapped child
3) inflict my mentally handicapped child on the taxpayer
Would my proposed course of action not make sense if you were one of those older mothers who may not have the chance to conceive again?
The advantage of my recommended course of action are:
1) I could enjoy my pregnancy.
2) I wouldn't be living with the guilt of perhaps needlessly aborting a child that turns out to be healthy after all.
3) I can always deal with the mentally handicapped baby discreetly after it is born.
I have been careful to explain my moral reasoning in case there is anyone reading this who could find herself in this position or is already in this position.
Don't have the test and don't have the abortion. Deal with it discreetly yourself later.
This is just a piece of advice for any of you older mothers that you won't have read anywhere else. You know it makes sense, morally, economically, legally and logistically.
Legally, you are unlikely to be shopped by your husband (who will be secretly relieved anyway) or family members and friends, who will understand, particularly if you do it secretly and contain the urge to discuss it with anyone at all.
You won't be subjected to an invasive medical procedure and will save precious NHS resources.
Do not be like my schoolfriend who had her one and only mentally handicapped child, ruined her marriage and now has no husband and no normal child to enquire after her health and find a good home for her in her dotage.
An excess of compassion can be lethal to one's happiness.
I would rather commit infanticide and put my hands up for it, just like the attention-seeking euthanasing travellers to Switzerland do, than
1) have an abortion
2) bring up a mentally handicapped child
3) inflict my mentally handicapped child on the taxpayer
Would my proposed course of action not make sense if you were one of those older mothers who may not have the chance to conceive again?
The advantage of my recommended course of action are:
1) I could enjoy my pregnancy.
2) I wouldn't be living with the guilt of perhaps needlessly aborting a child that turns out to be healthy after all.
3) I can always deal with the mentally handicapped baby discreetly after it is born.
I have been careful to explain my moral reasoning in case there is anyone reading this who could find herself in this position or is already in this position.
Don't have the test and don't have the abortion. Deal with it discreetly yourself later.
This is just a piece of advice for any of you older mothers that you won't have read anywhere else. You know it makes sense, morally, economically, legally and logistically.
Legally, you are unlikely to be shopped by your husband (who will be secretly relieved anyway) or family members and friends, who will understand, particularly if you do it secretly and contain the urge to discuss it with anyone at all.
You won't be subjected to an invasive medical procedure and will save precious NHS resources.
Do not be like my schoolfriend who had her one and only mentally handicapped child, ruined her marriage and now has no husband and no normal child to enquire after her health and find a good home for her in her dotage.
An excess of compassion can be lethal to one's happiness.
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