Readers React: Abortion and Down syndrome: Who are we to decide who’s worthy of life?

To the editor: Earlier this summer, Los Angeles hosted the Special Olympics, where individuals with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities competed in athletic events. This was a wonderful event that united the whole community. (“Ohio’s nonsensical attack on abortion rights,” editorial, Aug. 27)

In its editorial, The Times contends that a woman should have the right to abort her Down syndrome child if she doesn’t want the child. So obviously, these children will never have the opportunity to participate in the Special Olympics and be recognized for their achievements.

Does a child’s intrinsic worth really depend on whether she is wanted or not? Can we really say that the lives of the many aborted children who never got the chance to participate in the Special Olympics were worthless because they were defective and therefore unwanted?

And if we do, what does that say about us, who presume the authority to decide who will live and who will die based on what we want?

James Stetson, Torrance

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To the editor: I had an uncle with Down syndrome who lived to the age of 62. His mental capacity was similar to that of a 7-year-old child. He was treated kindly by everyone who knew him, and he reciprocated as a child would.

He was accepted as a family member throughout his life. I knew him well for 50 years.

If my grandmother had chosen to abort her fetus because of concerns about taking care of a child with Down syndrome, our family, including myself, would have suffered the loss of never being in my uncle’s presence. However, it is not the role of the American government to prevent me (or others) from experiencing all suffering.

Furthermore, nowhere in the Constitution does it state that all fetuses have all of the rights of an American citizen with a birth certificate.

Marc Jacobson, Los Angeles

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