While I was driving home from work this week I was struck by Michael O’Dowd’s interview on newstalk.com and the sentence he mentioned that i have used as our headline. More and more we see the startling figures from numerous countries about termination statistics in relation to Down Syndrome.
I had not seen the article in the Sunday Independent from David Quinn where he discussed is Down Syndrome disappearing or potentially disappearing from the world. However it is very much what we believe is happening in society. You can read the article yourself here https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/david-quinn-down-syndrome-is-disappearing-from-the-world-will-anyone-shout-stop/a1093852333.html
The prevalence of Down Syndrome in society has been a topic of discussion in recent times. According to a former Mayor of Drogheda and Aontú representative, Michael O’Dowd, people need to have a full-rounded view on whether they want to have children with Down Syndrome in society or not.
He stated that society needs to decide whether it wants to have children with Down Syndrome and the richness and beauty they bring to our lives or whether it wants to have a society without them. This is a discussion that will continue to happen as the gene that causes the chromosome disorder will continue to occur.
Mr O’Dowd cited a statistic that 95% of parents diagnosed with a Down Syndrome baby at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital choose to have an abortion. He said that prospective parents have decisions to make, and it can be a very devastating prognosis to get in relation to the child that they are going to have.
I was disappointed to hear during the interview that Michaels son Conor a 27 year old living with Down Syndrome wrote a letter to the Rotunda but got no reply.
Michael also advised expectant parents who receive this diagnosis not to do anything immediately and not to listen to obstetricians, whom he claimed generally have a very jaundiced view of people with disabilities. Instead, he suggested that they talk to other parents who have gone through similar situations.
Mr O’Dowd emphasized that parents should be given access to all the information around the condition. He acknowledged that there would be some challenging information that they would receive, but there would also be some positive information. It is not only up to communities but also up to the government to provide support to parents who have to make a difficult decision in some cases.
In conclusion, the decision to have a child with Down Syndrome is a personal one that requires access to accurate and comprehensive information. Parents should be given the necessary support to make an informed decision that is right for them and their family.
