Tough Decisions on Disabilities and Abortion

I’ve read on a few different blogs about a serious concern. As the ability to detect disabilities in fetuses continues to advance, will women be more likely to have an abortion? On one side of the argument is those mothers of disabled children who say they wouldn’t change a thing and love their children as they are. On the other hand there are women who ended their pregnancy because they didn’t think they could afford to pay the medical bills and care for another human for a lifetime.

As someone with a disability, this is a very difficult subject to write about. What if I had been conceived in this era instead of the 70s. Would my mother abort me? Of course, this subject isn’t black or white. What a woman decides depends so much on her financial situation, her support system, and how severely disabled the child will be.

Some women decide to go ahead and give birth knowing the child will die. They feel that the few moments or days they have with their infant is worth the birthing process and eventual grief. There are perinatal hospice organizations set up to assist families.

What is your opinion?