Report: Nazis Killed 'Downs' Children.
Response: So What, Who Doesn't?
I suppose by way of a general announcement, my wife and I are expecting our second child, due April 9, 2007. For those who have been coming around awhile, you know that we suffered a miscarriage a few months back. This time we decided to sit on the news for a little longer until we were at least past the first trimester where the chance for miscarriage drops tremendously. We've recently passed that milestone and, though things can always happen, we feel much more at ease this time through. We still haven't told our son who requested not to know next time until "the doctors know they can save the baby.” He took the miscarriage pretty hard.
At one of the appointments a few weeks ago, Karen's doctor asked that standard question regarding testing. You know the testing I'm talking about, right? Amniocentesis. This is the level of testing that determines if a child has some type of genetic defect such as Downs Syndrome. We were asked if we were interested in this testing so that we could make an informed decision. Informed decision? Personally, I see no decision to be made that hadn't already been made: 1. We trusted Christ in all things 2. We determined to try for a child. Beyond deciding on a name, choices complete. What happens beyond that is out of our control and, frankly, none of our business. If any doubt, refer to choice 1.
I was recently reminded of this topic of aborting babies who have the chance of being born with Downs (I say "chance" because these tests are not conclusive. We have a friend who had the testing done just so she would know what to expect. The test came back positive, but turned out to be dead wrong...the baby was fine). Anyway, I was reminded of that appointment as I just finished reading a few minutes ago about a mass grave found in Germany in which were found buried children suspected of having Downs Syndrome. Apparently, as a part of Hitler's euthanasia program, children with such illnesses were simply murdered.
I want to draw a comparison and contrast here for just a second. We read with disdain a paragraph like this one:German authorities suspect that some of the remains found in a World War II-era mass grave are from child victims of Adolf Hitler's euthanasia program, which killed people the Nazis considered worthless, officials said Friday.
We read strung-together words such as "mass grave," "Adolph Hitler," "euthanasia" and "worthless" as referring to human beings and we don't like that; it isn't very appetizing. Everything within us cries out, "This is wrong! That is evil! They were evil!" And we're right on all counts.
Unfortunately, we are hypocrites. We look at something the Nazi's did and cry out regarding the injustices and the evil practices of exterminating millions of people simply because they were considered "imperfect;" just because they were unwanted; undesirable. All the while, our own exterminating industry marches along, killing millions of the unwanted and undesirable, saving all of us poor men and women from having to tolerate something so hideous as, gasp, a child with special needs. It's so easy...with the nod of the head the process begins to end this tragic pregnancy; a pregnancy that was at first desired yet found necessary to end because the child was ruled imperfect.
Why don't Americans finally face up to who we are as a nation. In theory, we champion the weak, the tired, and the down-trodden. In practice, though, we're really not that much different from one Adolph Hitler. Yeah, he was evil...but at least he was honest about it.
[Read full Jerusalem Post article here.]
Please read this previous related Espresso Roast post: North Korean Infanticide: Disabled Newborns Are Killed.
Labels: David C. Price
posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 10/09/2006 01:00:00 AM
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6 Comments:
Hello David,
I wanted to share a story with you. I live in an apartment building, and I am very close with one of my neighbors. She is married and has two boys, 14 and 8 years old. Not intending to, she and her husband recently found themselves pregnant. Things are already a struggle for them- money is always tight even thought they both work. They are not college educated, just honest, hard-working people trying to raise their children as best they can. They love their two boys, and they are very well-behaved kids.
This woman confessed to me that she was very worried about the possibility of having a special needs child, as she is an older woman and the likelyhood goes up significantly. She feared it would be too much on their already strained family. She and her husband had discussed abortion as an option. They were quite relieved when the test said the baby was normal. In June, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She is well loved.
In your posting, are you honestly comparing my neighbors, my friends, to Nazis? These are good people, (I presume from a lower class than yourself based on your list of degrees) who struggled with a difficult decision based on the realities of their economic situation. Do you really think they are "evil"?
I suppose I am asking you to face the "moral ambiguities" that you Christians find so distastful. You want moral absolutism, you want things black and white, good and evil, but life is so much more complex than that. I don't expect you to suddenly support abortions as a result of this, but it would be nice if you could at least acknowledge that things are not always so clear cut. People struggle and cry and life breaks their hearts sometimes. Have some compassion, some understanding. Don't just assume people must be evil Nazis because they make a difficult moral choice. No one I have ever heard on either side of the issue thinks abortions are good. Hillary Clinton said "abortions should be safe, legal and rare." A quick search on the internet pulled up these facts- "More than half of all women having abortions already are mothers 6, raising one or more children 7. A majority of those having abortions that are not yet raising children, will someday become mothers and spend much of their lives raising and caring for their children and other loved ones." (http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/articles/so_dak_tf.htm numbers indicate footnotes at the end of the article) This article also notes women describing why they chose to have abortions, saying it was often "...ethically mandated by obligations to self and others." "America is one of the only three industrialized nations in the world that does not require any paid maternity leave 35." "Nearly one in five children are living in poverty 38." I invite you to do your own simple search to find statistics on the lack of health insurance for people in the lower classes like my neighbors.
I know you believe abortion is terrible. I agree; I think it's terrible, too. But we should be focusing an how to help lower income families and women care for their children, not calling them Nazis. Your post is nothing but hate speech, and does nothing to help people and show love and mercy as Christ would have you do, it only serves to display your self-perceived moral superiority.
Congrats on the impending new addition!
Regarding your post, the same thing happened to some friends of mine about a year ago. The check was done and when it returned it showed an increased risk of Down's with their son. My friends didn't bat an eye at the news as they had already trusted this to be in the hands of God. The doctor began thrusting pamplets at them of information on abortion and raising a Downs child, even after being informed that it wasn't an option for them. The kicker was it only raised the chance by a fraction of a percent - and the baby was born just fine and is as healthy and normal as can be.
I want to thank you both for your comments. Sarah, I wanted to respond to yours in particular and thank you for your honesty. To give a quick “summary” answer to your question, no, I am in no way comparing your friend to Nazis. As a matter of fact, I'm not calling anyone who struggles with these kinds of agonizing decisions as evil.
What I am saying is that we have an industry that makes its money off of the killing of children. The comparison is that, like Hitler, they don't see these unborn children as children. They see them as soul-less matter. Hitler thought these children (along with countless Jewish people) were less than human and, therefore, felt it was fine to destroy them. How is that any different than what abortion providers are doing today? It is the same kind of evil.
I am truly sorry if calling it what it is offends you. It is not my purpose to be offensive or hate-filled in any way, but simply to state the truth which is sometimes offensive by nature (not intention). We are largely hypocrites when we as a nation turn a blind eye to the destruction of millions of children a year because it was inconvenient to give birth or to live with the problems.
I do have compassion on the people that struggle with these decisions, especially those who don't know Christ. I certainly cannot make (nor expect really) someone without Christ to understand that some things really are black and white. I cannot expect them to trust that it will be OK if they give birth to a child that is less than perfect. I assure you, though, I am putting my money where my mouth is. The easy thing for my wife and I would be to go through with the testing and find out. However, we trust Christ and believe that He will provide for us what we need regardless of what happens. We very well could end up with a Downs Syndrome baby...I don't know, but I do know that I have no right to take that baby's life if it is. How can we think otherwise?! Who do we think we are to play God like that, regardless of how difficult or inconvenient it is? Are these people evil? I don't know them and I would not judge them if I did. I do know that the practice of abortion is nothing less than that.
I will have compassion on these individuals all day and love them as best I can and not condemn them for mistakes, but I cannot be found guilty of brushing this aside and not call it what it is simply because some don't like it or it is not considered P.C. To let someone live that way and to make them feel like it's OK because of their particular situation would not be compassionate in the least.
I understand where this is hard to communicate in a 600 word post, but the application of grace and mercy must always accompany the hard truths. So I hope you understand the difference: abortion is evil. It is murder. We cannot get around that. The people who have them are often victims of so many different things that we must love them through it, but we must love them enough to tell them the truth. If you don't understand the difference in that and so-called “hate-speech,” then there is a much deeper heart problem that no words will be able to fix nor communicate. Thanks again for your comment.
David,
Thank you for your response. I never expected to persuade you to think differently about abortions, only about the people who find themselves considering that as an option. I'm glad that you do have compassion for them and understand that they are people, capable of love and hope and sorrow just like yourself.
I wish you and your wife the best with your upcoming birth.
Sarah
P.S.- I loved your last Friday fun posting. Had it had a laugh track, it would have been just another blooper video, but the music it is set to makes it seem like a beautiful metaphor of life- people struggling to do nearly impossible things and failing, but getting right back up with grace and dignity. Thank you.
Excellent post and good feedback as well.
As far as mothers who do not have the capability and/or financial resources to have another child....please do not forget that adoption is a loving and selfless option. Many people seem to view abortion as their only option. Yes, it is easier than carrying the baby full term, but you do have to accept some responsibility. There are many couples who are also more than willing to adopt special needs children.
You're welcome, Sarah, and thank you. Also, thanks Abundant Blessings for that reminder of the availability of adoption. It's an option not enough people choose.
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