Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Is a Down's baby a baby?




Today, I sat down in a Starbucks with an older married couple. As I went through the questions, I noticed a few things.
First, the wife cared a lot more about the issue of life than the husband did. This seems to be an all too frequent problem in America: men think that since they can't be pregnant, they can't tell women whether or not to have abortions. It's going to have to be one of the first things we in the pro-life movement change if we expect to have an effect.
Second, religion played a huge part in why the woman felt the way she did about abortion. This can be both a positive and a negative thing. When I asked her if it would be wrong to abort a baby with Down's Syndrome, she answer: "personally, it's a life. I don't have the choice to take it. God gave to me... [but] I don't know about for other people. " Because religion is such a personal thing, people sometimes feel that what their religion says about right and wrong is also personal, not absolute.
Third, both the husband and wife said they thought that it should remain legal to abort a baby with Down's Syndrome, because "I don't feel like a Down's Syndrome baby has even the opportunity to come to know God." Because he is unable to reason in the same way as we are, it is less evil to kill him. They also said that a baby with Down's Syndrome can't possibly have a good life, so why make it come into the world? This is just a way of rationalizing killing. If you can say that this baby will not have a good life, you could say the same about a child born in the ghetto, or in the slums in China. Humanity isn't based on our perception of existence, it is an absolute.
However, on all the other issues, the couple was staunchly pro-life, and I urged them to get more involved in the Pro-life movement. The woman was shocked at the number of abortions that occur per year, and said that she would consider getting more involved.
Please, go and and do the survey, and engage people in a conversation. Even if you don't convince them of anything, they'll be thinking about it. And if you have something you want me post up here, email it to: lfieandcoffeeblog@gmail.com.
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 31, 2009 at 1:08 PM

    you should post a picture of a child with down's syndrome with this post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Patrick TomassiMarch 31, 2009 at 1:22 PM

    Good idea, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 31, 2009 at 2:45 PM

    Patrick,
    What a wonderful idea, please keep up the great work! I'm prayin for you, and I'm so proud to have you as a confirmation sponsor.

    God Bless,
    Kate Brown

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 31, 2009 at 10:02 PM

    This is an awesome blog - best of luck with anything you do for the pro-life movement!

    ReplyDelete
  5. benditlikebexApril 6, 2009 at 7:49 PM

    Pat! This is so awesome! Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nathan CornwellApril 7, 2009 at 7:14 PM

    Hey Patrick, you had a great chance with this religious of a couple. You should have pointed out that a Down's Syndrome baby is still created and loved by God-and He would not create a soul that could not love Him. Otherwise, good job talking about how arbitrary perceptions of worth are. Great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ..April 13, 2009 at 2:44 PM

    i like where youre going with this

    ReplyDelete

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My Mission

My goal is to start a conversation. People don’t discuss abortion like they do other issues, and that needs to be changed. As soon as people start to think about it, they will realize that we are right. Here’s what I do. If you want to give it a try, please do!

Go to a local coffeeshop.
Ask a random passerby if you can buy them coffee and talk with them for a few minutes
Ask them the survey questions (scroll down to see the survey)
Show them the Fetal Development video
Converse with them about why they feel the way they do about abortion
Encourage them to get more involved in the Pro-life movement
You might be surprised at the kind of ground you can gain

Survey

Introduce yourself, and make sure you tell them that you’re a student (if you are), and make them feel comfortable. Ask them for “Yes” or “No” answers to all questions.
Questions:
1. Do you think there should be less abortions?
2. Should abortion be used as a form of birth-control?

-- Show them the picture of a fetus at 18 weeks from fertilization (below)--

3. Is it wrong to abort this baby if he were diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome?
4. Is it wrong to abort this baby if the mother feels he would interfere with her career or education?
5. Is it wrong to abort this baby if the mother feels that she cannot afford to support him?
6. Is it wrong to abort this baby in the case of rape or incest?
7. Is it wrong to abort this baby if the mother feels she already has enough children?

-- Explain that currently in the US, abortions are preformed in all three trimesters for almost any reason (look up if your state has any restrictions. Oregon and Washington do not).--

8. Should it be made illegal to abort this baby if he were diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome?
9. Should it be made illegal to abort this baby if the mother feels he would interfere with her career or education?
10. Should it be made illegal to abort this baby if the mother feels that she cannot afford to support him?
11. Should it be made illegal to abort this baby in the case of rape or incest?
12. Should it be made illegal to abort this baby if the mother feels she has enough children?
13. Should be encourage women to consider adoption as an alternative to abortion?