I know this will be lost in the thousands of other voices, but my god does noone see the bigger picture.
Downs is just one of multiple types of mental dissablites. The fact is, YOU could get smacked in the head and end up with a severe brain injury. Then you might find yourself in one of these 'institutions' so many of you have one wild opinion or another on.
I find it callous that so many would applaud the slippery slope. Ofcoure it is up to the individuals involved in the conception of the fetus to decide after all the facts are shown. That is with any pregnancy. It is down right callous to insinuate that carrying a possibly downs syndrome child to term is a burden on society. Its also pretty wrong. Look, I read the anecdotal statements and stories. It can be financially rough to take care of someone with a disability. It can also be done. It takes a community. I have plunty of anecdotal evidence that it is rewarding and doable.
There are college degrees people are required to get inorder to assist these individuals. Companies that hire staff to assist these individuals are a HUGE part of the economy. For real. In my city there are dozens of companies, for and not for profit, who have thosands of individuals whom they provide some sort of support.
Often these individuals are able to hold jobs and contribute back to society. They pay their god damn rent and their fucking taxes.
It takes hard fucking work. And it takes patience.
Downs syndrome is not the only disability. It is one of the most readily known in regards to developmental disabilities. That's why everyone and their moms think they know what its really means to have an experience with someone with a disability.
The problem I see isn't the disability. Its the grotesque lack of education surrounding the actual reality of living with and taking care of someone with a developmental disability.
Intellectual disability affects about 2–3% of the general population. 75–90% of the affected people have mild intellectual disability. Non-syndromic or idiopathic cases account for 30–50% of cases. About a quarter of cases are caused by a genetic disorder.[5] Cases of unknown cause affect about 95 million people as of 2013.[6]
Among children, the cause is unknown for one-third to one-half of cases.[5] Down syndrome, velocariofacial syndrome, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are the three most common inborn causes.[5] However, doctors have found many other causes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_disability
I mean, Wikipedia is more of a second source, but they at least site their shit. The https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodevelopmental_disorder article is also pretty eye opening.