Two-year-old Gabe has Down Syndrome, but sometimes his mother, Sherry, forgets that her son has the genetic condition. Sherry explained more about Gabe on her blog, Hand Me Downs.
She writes, “Sometimes I forget that our son has Down syndrome. It’s easy to be distracted by his two-year-old tantrums, his mischievous smile and go getter attitude. Gabe is kind hearted but stubborn. He immediately runs to check on sister when she is having a dramatic, I’m four and the world is over, meltdown. He will climb onto your lap randomly and stretch his little fingers up to stroke your cheek, just to say I love you.”
However, one day at a grocery store Sherry was reminded of the heartbreaking reality that some people don’t see Gabe the way she does. As she was checking out, her cashier whispered, “I bet you wish you had known before he came out. You know they have a test for that now…”
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Sherry said, “Shock, horror, hurt and fury coursed through my body. I considered jerking her over the register and beating her senseless. I looked her up and down, I could take her… “
But instead of throwing punches, Sherry decided to comment with a mischievous remark.
She said, “I smiled a crazy lady smile [and said,] ‘I know right?! It’s so much harder to get rid of them once they come out. Believe ME I’ve tried…’”
“What you’re saying is that it’s okay for me to kill him while he’s inside, but not outside? In my book there isn’t a difference. For the record, we knew EVERYTHING about him during my pregnancy. He is our son now and he was our son then. There is no way in hell that I would let any harm come to either of my children. Including during the time that they’re so ridiculously considered disposable.
I had forgotten, that sometimes other people don’t immediately see Gabe, they see a “downs kid”. They see poor parents and a burdened sister. I sometimes forget until I glance up and see the pity in their eye, or hear the ignorant comments in not so hushed whispers. I sometimes forget that it’s not their fault. They just DONT KNOW.”
Tragically, 90% of women who are given the prenatal diagnosis that their baby will have Down syndrome end the life of their unborn child through abortion. This unnerving statistic reminds us that even though the words of this cashier are shocking, they aren’t unprecedented. Countless people see children with disabilities as less valuable than the rest of us, which is why the pro-life community needs to help protect the rights of the disabled.
