Parents' Lawsuit Over Down Syndrome Child is Maddening

[rockin'robin]

COMMENTARY | Whatever happened to playing the hand you're dealt? Whatever happened to loving the child who is born to you, regardless of the challenges? Apparently those concepts haven't occurred to the parents of a 4-year-old girl with Down syndrome in Oregon. According to Kim Carollo's post at the ABC News Blogs, they're suing the hospital because their daughter's condition was not diagnosed during a prenatal screening.

Because the diagnosis was not caught during the screening, the parents reportedly decided to continue the pregnancy and want $7 million to care for the child. I find this disgusting and dare say that a parent who sees their child as only a financial burden should not be a parent.

Part of the experience of having a child is the realization that something could be different about your child, or even wrong, but that you're going to love this person anyway. I'm not sure why or how these "parents" missed that important concept, but they have. This is a case of throwaway values at its most depressing.

Further, I find this lawsuit dangerous. If this couple is successful at suing the hospital for missing a diagnosis during a prenatal screening, who is to say what sort of lawsuits might come next? Can you sue a hospital, at age 40, because the doctors didn't warn your parents during pregnancy that you might become obese? Could a parent sue the hospital because the prenatal screening tests failed to show their child with an increased chance of allergies or asthma or any other health issue? Those examples might seem ridiculous, but that probably only means they will be the subject of lawsuits in the future.

I hope this lawsuit is thrown out. I hope this couple learns somehow to see their daughter as a blessing more than a burden. I hope she lives a long and joyous life, full of surprises and opportunities to surprise everyone. Even her parents.

Parents' Lawsuit Over Down Syndrome Child is Maddening - Yahoo! News

 

[TXgolfer]

Wow.... just wow

 

[dereksbicycles]

That would only mean obtaining an insurance to be a doctor or nurse will cost a lot more $$. Then the cost will pass on to customer. Then us customers will go broke.

 

[Speedy Hawk]

Poor child! What she must think if she know/old enough to understand what parent doing.

 

[deafdyke]

Not to defend them, but Down's kids can be VERY medically complex. The price tag for dealing with their medical problems can be horrible. I speak from experiance. I think it's horrific that they would have aborted her. I mean JEEZ not all Downs kids are mentally handicapped. There are quite a few who are mild or even normal IQ. There was a Down's girl in my school who was more "severely" scattered nereological ablity, meaning more like an obvious learning disabilty, but not quite mentally handicapped. I remember she was in A (academic level) for English. Most sped kids took B levels (especially for English)

 

[Grayma]

What horrible people.

 

[Anij]

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

Not to defend them, but Down's kids can be VERY medically complex. The price tag for dealing with their medical problems can be horrible. I speak from experiance. I think it's horrific that they would have aborted her. I mean JEEZ not all Downs kids are mentally handicapped. There are quite a few who are mild or even normal IQ. There was a Down's girl in my school who was more "severely" scattered nereological ablity, meaning more like an obvious learning disabilty, but not quite mentally handicapped. I remember she was in A (academic level) for English. Most sped kids took B levels (especially for English)

My uncle has DS, and we've worked with/done respite care with dozens of other DS kids. While your correct that some 'can' have additional medical issues (holes in the heart which may or may not require surgery, difficulty producing clear speech and mild-mod hearing loss) so can any child.

It sounds like these people wanted to have kids, but not be parents. They wanted and expected a "perfect child" - not understanding that "perfect" comes in a lot of shapes and sizes - DS included.

Decades ago those with DS got basically no education - the "bar" was set so low that people figured people with DS wouldn't be able to get a good education, work, be self sufficient etc.

Thankfully, now we know better - largely because a few families refused to accept the status quo and proved their DS child could learn!

There is no reason why those with DS shouldn't have every opportunity and be given the chance and tools to become whatever they want to be.

This is why very early intervention, introduction and use of ASL (or sign supplemented speech) and a fun yet educational home learning environments etc are so important.

People who will only accept physically, mentally and medically "perfect" children really need to re-evaluate if they truly want to be parents at all - or if they would be better off as (biological or surrogate) aunts, uncles or babysitters.

 

[rayne127]

My uncle has DS, and we've worked with/done respite care with dozens of other DS kids. While your correct that some 'can' have additional medical issues (holes in the heart which may or may not require surgery, difficulty producing clear speech and mild-mod hearing loss) so can any child.

It sounds like these people wanted to have kids, but not be parents. They wanted and expected a "perfect child" - not understanding that "perfect" comes in a lot of shapes and sizes - DS included.

Decades ago those with DS got basically no education - the "bar" was set so low that people figured people with DS wouldn't be able to get a good education, work, be self sufficient etc.

Thankfully, now we know better - largely because a few families refused to accept the status quo and proved their DS child could learn!

There is no reason why those with DS shouldn't have every opportunity and be given the chance and tools to become whatever they want to be.

This is why very early intervention, introduction and use of ASL (or sign supplemented speech) and a fun yet educational home learning environments etc are so important.

People who will only accept physically, mentally and medically "perfect" children really need to re-evaluate if they truly want to be parents at all - or if they would be better off as (biological or surrogate) aunts, uncles or babysitters.

I completely agree with everything you've said. My youngest brother has Down syndrome and is also HOH. From the time he was about 1 year old my family and I started learning ASL and using that to communicate with him because the doctors said he was legally deaf and his hearing may get worse as he grew up or it may improve slightly. Thankfully it has improved, but we still gave him the chance to communicate through ASL. Now he uses speech and ASL to communicate. It has been a long and hard 17 years with him, but he's doing great. He's grown up so much and is very much independent, because we've taught him to be.

I've worked with people who have had many different disabilities, including other people with Down syndrome. There are so many levels, and as long as you work with them, they can achieve most of what any other person can. I wouldn't trade my brother for anything. I love him just the way he is. And yes, he is "perfect" in his own way!

I remember my mom telling me once that the doctors told her there may be a possibility my brother would have Down syndrome when he was born. They offered to do an amniocentesis to confirm, but she declined knowing that it could do more damage to him then good. She told the doctors she didn't care if he had Down syndrome, it's her son and she's going to love him regardless, so why put him through the risks of having that procedure?

These people chose to be parents. They chose to get pregnant and have this child. Just because they got a daughter who will need a little extra attention and needs than most doesn't mean that she's an imperfect person. This poor girl is going to grow up with parents who resent having her. It makes me sad and utterly disgusts me to think that these people can be so selfish.

 

[rockin'robin]

I was coming out of Walmart the other day, and this child with DS was sitting in a chair by the exit door, and his father (or caretaker) was standing in front of him, talking (actually mouthing his words very slow), along with ASL....My guess the child was HOH or even Deaf, but the child was saying "Yes" in ASL.....

 

[rayne127]

I was coming out of Walmart the other day, and this child with DS was sitting in a chair by the exit door, and his father (or caretaker) was standing in front of him, talking (actually mouthing his words very slow), along with ASL....My guess the child was HOH or even Deaf, but the child was saying "Yes" in ASL.....

Aw, that's cute. =)

 

[deafdyke]

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )



My uncle has DS, and we've worked with/done respite care with dozens of other DS kids. While your correct that some 'can' have additional medical issues (holes in the heart which may or may not require surgery, difficulty producing clear speech and mild-mod hearing loss) so can any child.

It sounds like these people wanted to have kids, but not be parents. They wanted and expected a "perfect child" - not understanding that "perfect" comes in a lot of shapes and sizes - DS included.

Decades ago those with DS got basically no education - the "bar" was set so low that people figured people with DS wouldn't be able to get a good education, work, be self sufficient etc.

Thankfully, now we know better - largely because a few families refused to accept the status quo and proved their DS child could learn!

There is no reason why those with DS shouldn't have every opportunity and be given the chance and tools to become whatever they want to be.

This is why very early intervention, introduction and use of ASL (or sign supplemented speech) and a fun yet educational home learning environments etc are so important.

People who will only accept physically, mentally and medically "perfect" children really need to re-evaluate if they truly want to be parents at all - or if they would be better off as (biological or surrogate) aunts, uncles or babysitters.

I am aware of that. But the thing is, we don't know if this is one of the mild cases or the more severe cases...Down's is the leading cause of severe mental handicap after all......and Anji, kids with Down's can be more severely medically complex/severe then just holes in the heart which may or may not require surgery, difficulty producing clear speech and mild-mod hearing loss....

 

[katz4life]

That is sad....

 

[Grayma]

I am aware of that. But the thing is, we don't know if this is one of the mild cases or the more severe cases...Down's is the leading cause of severe mental handicap after all......and Anji, kids with Down's can be more severely medically complex/severe then just holes in the heart which may or may not require surgery, difficulty producing clear speech and mild-mod hearing loss....

Which is still no reason to sue the doctors for what is basically a 'wrongful life' lawsuit. It's immoral to take other people to court and sue them just because your baby was born with an extra chromosome, no matter how burdensome that might be to you.

 

[Anij]

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I am aware of that. But the thing is, we don't know if this is one of the mild cases or the more severe cases...Down's is the leading cause of severe mental handicap after all......and Anji, kids with Down's can be more severely medically complex/severe then just holes in the heart which may or may not require surgery, difficulty producing clear speech and mild-mod hearing loss....

DD, don't take this the wrong way, but do you have immediate family members with DS that you've grown up around?

Having lived, volunteered and worked with DS family members, friends, students and clients for +30years - most persons with (only) DS are healthy. I know many men and women with DS who are now in their 50s and 60s and (provided they don't have heart issues) are healthy, happy adults. Any medical issues they due have are most commonly unrelated to having DS.

Are there a small number of people who have complicated versions of DS (usually because they actually have DS & something else) - sure. But the fact is that's NOT the "norm" it's the exception.

 

[deafdyke]

Which is still no reason to sue the doctors for what is basically a 'wrongful life' lawsuit. It's immoral to take other people to court and sue them just because your baby was born with an extra chromosome, no matter how burdensome that might be to you.

Agreed. I have a chromosome abnormality myself. And I do know that all the autosome disorders vary HUGELY in their manifesation. my own ranges from people who may just be slightly CPish to just HOH (most people just think I'm HOH) to more severe and profound issues. It depends on the person. Anji that is what I meant.