Ignorance and Stigma is Still Well and Alive, Part Duex

Fellow Blogger, MoronicProchoice Quotes brings to our attention this little gem from a pro-choicer on Twitter...

 

Crystal @Crystal_Smith44: "Grandstand much @RepHartzler ? Forcing women to bear children< monsters> w/ genetic defects is barbaric, shame on you. #Fem2"



Ugh, this is not the first time (nor will it be the last) I've heard such an ignorant & bigoted thing said about the developmentally disabled & it really angered me. I replied...

Butterfly Angel @bttrfly_angel: "@Crystal_Smith44 I've worked w/ moderate to profoundly disabled individuals for years & the only I've seen are not the disabled individuals I work with, but ignorant & prejudiced people like you"

Source

Not but within an hour after I responded, she blocked me and the tweet was removed within a couple of days as well. Not surprised, some prejudiced people don't like to be called out on their bigotry, but I disgress. Her insult towards the developmentally disabled aside, I'd like to address her claim about forcing women to carry pregnancies with a poor prenatal diagnosis. One point I'd like to make is about the assumption and pressure women face from their doctors, support person, and even family to terminate the pregnancy (have an abortion) when facing a poor prenatal diagnosis. This is discussed in a couple of articles written from the viewpoint of parents of a child(ren) with disability who experienced it first hand as well as medical journal articles:
DS Screening: A Few Cautionary Thoughts
Down Syndrome Support Groups Rise to Counter Physicians’ Poor Diagnostic Practices
Prenatal diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome: impact of counseling patterns on parental perceptions and decisions regarding termination of pregnancy
Is there pressure from society to terminate pregnancy in case of a fetal anomaly?

For the reason I'd like to move the focus away from the abortion debate and back to the pregnant woman and to the child(ren) she's carrying and ask: is enough being done to inform the woman and her partner about the ramifications of prenatal testing and to provide them with support and options other than termination? For that reason, I'd like to make a call for more compassion towards women facing a poor prenatal diagnosis, and let's give them a support system, medical resources, and options. Also, it's important to continue to educate and bring awareness to the public.