A Disturbing Statistic About the Unborn

24 Oct
2007

Michael Gerson, whom I’ve strongly criticized in the past for his views on immigration, has an excellent column today in the Washington Post about the temptation of eugenics as science takes on an even greater role in our lives. This sentence really surprised me:

About 90 percent of fetuses found to have Down syndrome are aborted in America.

I find that very sad. Gerson doesn’t cite a source for the statistic, but assuming it really is that high, it disturbs me greatly that so many Americans — presumably many who call themselves “pro-life” — could have such a callous disregard for the life an unborn child, regardless of that baby’s disability.

I applaud Gerson for tackling the issue of genetic screening and selective breeding. Too often in life we think only about ourselves — there’s no question it would be easier to abort a baby with Down syndrome than attempt to raise a disabled child — but that’s neither good for our families or society as a whole.

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