Mother of a child with Down syndrome here. I also run our local Down syndrome organization. Shit like this just pisses me off. It dilutes our advocacy efforts, and shows what a divided movement we truly are. I am pro-choice. Am I sad when a woman chooses to terminate a Down syndrome pregnancy? Of course. Is it any of…

Yes, but has this been an endemic and widespread problem in Ohio?

It’s all part of God’s plan.

It’s terrible because these legislators (and backers of this law) don’t seem to understand that Down Syndrome implies serious health problems (such as heart defects), and there’s a whole spectrum of them, meaning there are those who have DS but mild symptoms and others who are and will always be in very poor overall…

What if it’s an illegal immigrant’s baby, can we abort those?

Oh, sure. This is a sound idea.

Nah, just make sure the disabled child market is a free market and capitalism will take care of the rest. Duh.

Obviously children with Down syndrome are wonderful, adorable children, but the decision to move forward with a genetic abnormality should always be an informed choice. My husband and I decided we would for Down Syndrome, but I’ve had extensive experience with special needs children. They need so much attention,…

I have literally nothing but respect and awe for the people that are able to do that.

I look forward to the massive uptick in funding to support families of children with Downs Syndrome that I’m sure will accompany this bill.

I was thinking that, too. My mother’s cousin has a daughter with severe autism who is blind. She is going to need support for the rest of her life because she can’t live by herself. They had to move her into a group home that she loves and set up a trust to take care of her for however long she lives. Not everyone is…

THIS IS WHAT I SAID, YES, THOSE THINGS

I suppose these lawmakers are going to also fund a massive expansion of services to help parents of children with special needs, including special education, free therapy regimens (speech, physical, occupational, etc.), specialized child care, respite care, long-term employment plans for adults with disabilities, and…

Of course, once this passes, there will be lots of legislation and funding to assist the families who have been forced to birth a child with disabilities for which they are perhaps not capable of caring/coping/etc. Otherwise, that would just be cruel to both the families and the children.

Excellent. I am sure this thoughtful law will be followed by a large budget shift so that any infants with severe disabilities will be given full, free lifetime housing, round the clock nursing care and behavioral therapy of the highest quality.

What a stupid law. So if a woman wants/needs to abort a healthy fetus that’d be a-okay, but if she disclosed a genetic abnormality she’d be denied? As the doctor said on the quote, it makes zero sense. Unless it’s seen as just a step in the “right” direction for the anti-choice folks. Even so, it’s a damn dumb law.

Next, “It’s just that I have a lot of republicans in my gene pool, so...We don’t feel comfortable risking it” will be illegal too.

My aunt made a point to tell me detailed stories about how the women in her (low income) neighbourhood dealt with unwanted pregnancies when she was growing up (everything up to and including suicide, unfortunately), and made me promise to never take access to birth control and abortion for granted. Unfortunately we’re…

Yeah, even with family. If these are people I see regularly (ie my in laws who live near me), I might try to deal with it but, thankfully, they aren’t sexist assholes. They are wonderful people. MY family, though. Oye. I see them MAYBE once or twice a year. It’s not worth getting into it with them over most things.…

I tried it once a few years back. Some woman in my book club turned out to be a raging anti-choice, anti-gay asshat. Oh, and anti-birth control. Leave it up to God! But I was all, well - it’s book club and maybe it’s good to have different views and maybe something I say will give her pause to think.