Down Syndrome babies: an endangered species

They’re fast becoming one of the world’s endangered species. They account for about one out of every 733 live births but if a child is diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the womb, there’s up to a 95% chance he will be aborted.

21 March 2012 marked the 7th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and for the first time in 2012 this day was officially observed by the United Nations.
Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21 occurs when an extra chromosome appears in the fetus’ genetic makeup and what causes it is generally unknown. Nearly 80% of Down Syndrome cases occur in women younger than 35; it can affect people of all ages, races and economic levels.
The chance for Down Syndrome is known to increase with the mother's age. Many women opt for prenatal screening such as amniocentesis to test for genetic irregularities but such tests are not always conclusive, and sometimes can cause a miscarriage.

Art historian Elizabeth Lev’s is a name familiar to many of our listeners. She’s a frequent contributor to our programs. But what people may not know is that Liz has a young son born with Down Syndrome and that she frequently writes articles to raise awareness about the disorder. She spoke to Tracey McClure on her son Joshua’s 9^th birthday about the beauty and the challenges of having a child with Down Syndrome.

These are children, people, Liz says, “who are endangered. This is an entire group of people with this set of symptoms revolving around the trisomy 21 who are systematically… they are systematically aborted before they can make it into this world. I’ll use ‘genocide;’ I’ll use ‘endangered species;’ I’ll use whatever it takes because that’s exactly what we’re looking at. We are looking at a group of people that the world thinks it can exterminate as if it were a form of bubonic plague. Trisomy 21, Down Syndrome, is not bubonic plague…these people are people first and foremost and they are people with very special, unique and wonderful gifts – would people take the time to get to know them.”
Listen to the interview: