General Chat

Downs children are now able to often live more independent lives than maybe 20 or 30 years ago. Now they get an education and there are chances for employment etc. Agreed many still can't function in society fully, but things have improved. Speech is often an issue hence they're usually taught signing from the beginning.

Problem is, Down's has a wide range of severity, from slightly impaired to incapable of any sort of independent living, working or decision-making.
Life expectancy has improved dramatically, fifty years ago only a small proportion reached adulthood but now 50, 60 or even low 70s is possible. I believe the record is 72.
In those circumstances the parents are likely to be deceased before the child, so a severely handicapped child in later years will have to be looked after either by a family member e.g. a sibling, or be institutionalized.
Given that the risk of a Down's child increases with age, the parents could be retired by the time the child is 20, deceased before the child is 40 and the child could live a further 20 years.
Problem is, current testing cannot predict the severity of the condition.
Either way, a parent with a positive test has a very difficult decision to make which I don't envy.

:-D

<3 <3

The thread isn't to start a conversation on any church and their views on this subject, it's just to inform everyone of World Downs day and I liked the video.

Watch and enjoy and wear your mismatch socks with or without holes on Wednesday :-D

Dermot - then I would question their wording!! :-|
They say about the 'perceived' challenges - that's the first challenge!
Who perceives these challenges?
The mother/parents? The child?
Is it the perceived challenge the parent's/society would have or the child?

Prime example of my view - 'from the children I work with - they see no challenges in living with Down Syndrome - it's other people who pose the challenges!!'

Not a good start for the CofE meeting, really.

Well I wouldn't change my Tianna at all , to me she's a precious genuine little person and capable of contributing to society in her own way
Not a day passes that she makes people smile <3 <3 <3

maggiewinchester - My posting was 'word-for-word' taken from the CoE pre-meeting publication.

Dermot I notice you say that "an unintended consequence may be that the perceived challenges of living with Down's syndrome will result in more decisions to terminate the pregnancy."

The person who may make the decision isn't the one 'living with Down Syndrome', the terminated baby would be living with Down Syndrome, and from the children I work with - they see no challenges in living with Down Syndrome - it's other people who pose the challenges!!

Then there is the 'who decides what', and how far will the medical profession/Governments go with eugenics?
Who decides what is 'acceptable' and what isn't?

There are people in 'high places', who would consider themselves 'perfect specimens' of humanity.
Unfortunately, they possess no humanity, and are short of brain cells too! :-S

Hi Caroline

I hope you don't mind me putting a link up from your first post

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Biex1XR_mpo

PLEASE MAKE SURE THE SOUND IS TURNED ON

It's 50 Mums, 50 kids and 1 extra Chromosome in a Karaoke Carpool

I defy anyone not to be smiling at the end of it :-) <3 <3

Thanks for posting it, Caroline.......it is absolutely lovely:-)

My sister had a "normal baby" before her Downs child and "normal" ones after and wasn't an old mum....I was an old mum and refused the testing which was offered as I wouldn't have had a termination as that would be "getting rid of" my lovely niece in so many ways.

Downs children are a lot of extra work but often they are amazing people....and now she's an adult every day the things she comes out with can be hysterical even if she didn't mean to be funny.

On the flip side Dermot, the new test is non invasive and will ( I assume) remove the possibility of 'false positive' results.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37500189

'Babies born with Down's syndrome could disappear from the UK almost completely, as has already happened in some other countries following advances in prenatal testing procedures.

While celebrating technological advances that enable women to understand more about the development of their unborn children, an unintended consequence may be that the perceived challenges of living with Down's syndrome will result in more decisions to terminate the pregnancy'.

{An excerpt from a planned CoE General Synod debate in London next month.}

<3 <3

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Biex1XR_mpo&app=desktop

www.youtube.com/watch?v=72UMAixxnCw