Testing, Abortion and Disability Rights
With the commonplace use of the 'triple test' we have become a society of eugenicists. The test that gives warning of an increased risk of Down Syndrome and neural tube defects (spina bifida) is supposed to allow us to plan. I rarely hear of anyone using it to plan, but instead hear people say "If it's positive, I'll have an abortion." I am pro-choice. I will fiercely defend the right of a woman to decide when she wishes to carry a pregnancy, and when she doesn't. If she would have chosen to not have gotten pregnant in the first place, she has the right to choose not to carry the pregnancy. Also, I cannot know all of the reasons that go into termination. Perhaps she already has as much as she can handle, or perhaps she would be in danger if she had a child with a disability. But the most common use of the triple test, to have a 'perfect' child, is a symptom of a larger problem in society: -The fear of disability. Disabi