I'm an American but studied abroad in Denmark for around 6 months. When I was there, I found out that the Nordic countries have virtually eradicated down syndrome by testing pregnant people for it. 99% choose to abort. How do you guys feel about this?
Personally this is quite disturbing to me. I've known people with down syndrome who live happy, quality lives. Even if it is up to the mother whether or not to abort, when it happens 99% of the time, is it not cultural eugenics? It seems the culture is almost afraid of taking care of a child with down syndrome. Especially in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, where the resources to take care of them are more widely available. If you could test for other things like autism, or even something like extreme depression, would yall do the same thing?
EDIT: I am strongly pro choice and I have talked to many American people on both sides of the political spectrum about this and they unanimously agree with me. On an individual level, I support everyones right to make their own decisions, but when it gets to the population level it becomes more of a cultural issue. There seems to be a cultural agreement that children with down syndrome are too difficult to care for. Does that make it ok to eradicate them? I honestly don't know
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The original was posted on /r/denmark by /u/queen_bs at 2024-03-13 15:12:18+00:00.
Important-Bet123 at 2024-03-13 16:47:07+00:00 ID:
kupwftzIt is not abnormal to want healthy kids. The scans at week 12 and 20 also show heart malformations, birth defects, other chromosomal abnormalities. And yes, many if not most Danes abort fetuses with serious diseases. Humans live a better life when they dont have to have 3 hearts surgeries in their first year of life , or a have liver transplant at age 4 and if you are a parent you will have a better life if you child doesn’t die at age 3, 8 or 18. The less suffering, the better for everyone ❤️
Down syndrome is the most aborted because it is the most common birth defect - but it is the same for all diseases, there are also less kids in Denmark with microcéphaly and other life threatening illnesses than 10 years ago due to prenatal analyses.
I see no problem at all using modern technology to have healthy children. We are not talking picking the gender or eye color of your child, which is for the record NOT legal in fertility treatments in Denmark as it is in the U.S.
Actually I view this as equal to IVF. Do we use technology to have an unnatural result? Yes. Is that a good thing, absolutely.