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I woke up yesterday to scripture that encouraged praying for your enemies because it’s God’s will. My immediate thought was, I don’t have any enemies – I think! But then I prayed on it, just to make sure I wasn’t missing someone. Which makes this post crazy-relevant because a few hours later, I read something that set my hair on fire. In case you missed it, yesterday was a hot bed of controversy in pro life faith communities because renowned atheist Richard Dawkins came out and said this, in talking with a reader about whether to make the choice of abortion for a baby with Down syndrome.
The thread began he when he called Ireland uncivilized for their anti-abortion laws. Abortion has to be “approved” over there and a controversial case recently made NY Times headlines. In the August 17th article, “Case in Which Abortion Was Denied Reignites Controversy Over Irish Law,” the Times details how a woman who was suicidal (she even went on a hunger strike to protest her pregnancy) and was still denied an abortion. She was granted a legal C-section 25 weeks into her pregnancy. (Yea, I’m with you – can’t quite wrap my head around that one either. It’s not exactly like fetuses are ALWAYS safe at either C-sections or 25 weeks. It makes the WHOLE case suspect in my opinion, by which I mean I can’t determine the motives of the governing authority’s decision.) Over at Dawkin’s feed, I couldn’t find this comment so I assume he deleted it. At least he had that good sense. And sure, I get that people make mistakes on Twitter. But even back in my totally pro-choice days, when I was going to NARAL events and stuff, I never even *ACCIDENTALLY* would have said a thing like this. Ah but it gets better, because THEN he said this, in comparing autism to Down syndrome:
If you think I was fit to be tied reading this garbage, you’re right. No, no, no, argued Dawkins, I’m only talking about what people ALREADY do! Everybody aborts DS babies (based on poor, outdated information from the dawn of the psych wards) so it MUST be the right choice! And I’m not talking about living people who have DS – even though apparently they are not “enhanced” and have nothing to contribute. What do you want to bet that he will be perfectly fine with aborting fetuses with autism one they develop THAT test? (Yes they are working on earlier diagnosis and trying to find a way to determine it in utero). So this is a challenging one to start with, but I’m not arguing whether or not abortion is murder. (Although Dawkins does make the preposterous claim that if you’re not vegan, you have no right to be anti-abortion, because humans are no better than animals. Unless, of course, you’re crediting human ingenuity, worshiping human intellect or talking about people with autism, then yes, clearly superior. #smh) I felt I needed to report on this case because I hope that in 2014, people can understand that Down syndrome – as my OB told me 11.5 years ago, right after Amelia was born – “It’s not like it used to be.” I should forgive Dawkins; in his 70s, he obvious doesn’t know any better than the world he grew up in. As for abortions, unwanted pregnancies are difficult issues. I’m not sure WHAT I’d do if one of my disabled daughters found herself in that position. I don’t judge anyone who has – I don’t think it’s an easy, cut and dry decision either way. I don’t know anyone who has had one and didn’t regret it, but I only know a few who have admitted it. As far as Dawkin’s comments, today people with Down syndrome can:
- hold jobs and careers
- go to college
- get married
- live full, meaningful, enriching lives
- contribute to society
Or not. They can have health problems. Or not. They can get early onset Alzheimers. Or not. Just like kids with autism. Just like kids with no conditions at birth or preschool or middle school whatsoever. Kids are not a guarantee of either good or bad.
Maybe someone should tell Mr. Dawkins that. In the meantime, I have to pray for him. That’s going to be really hard, but you can pray for me.
Oh yeah, and if you’re still wondering why God allows kids to have Down syndrome, or anything else, this Christian post will save you the years I struggled: God’s Purpose in My Child’s Disability
I first discovered this article on the pro-life site, LifeSiteNews, which I do not follow but from a Down syndrome site I do follow. However, I did my own research. I’m not actually pro-choice for myself, but I can’t judge other people’s choices. That’s all I can say. Having been in the situation, my soul just knew it was not right to abort, even though on paper it looked like the best choice at the time.
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