Well as a retard myself (seriously, not kidding around), I would say yes. Down Syndrome or any other condition similar to it results in a most unfortunate life. The worst part is it leave you kind of scared to commit suicide, so you're kind of trapped. People automatically want nothing to do with you, and the few that do usually wanna goof on you or take advantage of you. This for me has resulted in a state of almost paranoid schizophrenia, I can't even leave my place.

So in my opinion it is selfish as F*, to not abort a retarded person. you're putting them in a world that wants nothing to do with them, and they are evolutionary dead ends. Do the fetus a favor, and flush it. Wish they'd done that with me.

We have special needs children that attend my high school, they always have the appearance of being truly happy. They do not know any better. These are kids that will never be mentally able to do anything with their lives. Now they have them deliver newspapers and go around seeing what teachers want for lunch ( teachers have to pay for it ).

That is fine and dandy but what happens when they grow up? What happens when the parents are no longer their ( passed on ) ? They will not get jobs because they do not retain enough information to be able to actually have a real job and make money. It is beyond their mental capacity. After they grow out of the program at my school where will they go? Will they just sit at home and rot?

I would beg and plead for my wife to see that our child would not make it in this harsh world we live in. That they would not be able to get a job in these tough times when he/she would not be able to compete with the competition mentally. I do not think that that should be the life for a child or anyone.

Yes, I would. Yes, the baby is a life, and we have no right to forfeit it. But, I believe that no human would want to be born imperfect. Disabled people who have emerged victorious from their demons and the society's condemnations have gone through a lot of trials and tribulations. Which results in their optimism and gratitude towards life. Not everyone can do that. Besides, bringing a special needs baby burdens everyone. And no one wants to be a burden to anyone. I may sound callous at this point, but in the long term, how do you ensure that no harm comes to it? You can't be around for it forever!

While the pic is cute,

I don't think severly retarded people have much of a life at all. As long as it was caught before the the fetus was a sentient being, I would lean towards an abortion,

I would have to defer to the one who was pregnant though.

yep. It's a shitty life (although, retarded people are happy in the fact that they don't know how miserable they are) and it's a major inconvenience for the parents.

Plus, they're over all useless to society... usually money wasters too. They need special care and are given government checks.

If parents were not restricted by morals or PC belief and just aborted the child, life in general would be a lot easier.

I would definitely abort a special needs baby. I have a brother who is special needs, he has the mind of a six year old and is 26 years old. He holds no job, and our family has to do everything for him. I would say that they won't make something of themselves if they were left alone. Honestly it is a waste of time, money, food, and effort to keep alive a special needs child who won't amount to anything in their life.

I have a cousin with severe mental retardation. He and his brother (a very successful orthodontist) are the only children to my aunt and uncle. They are both in their mid 40s. My almost to be 70 year old great aunt and uncle have raised my cousin Geoffrey for his entire life. My orthodontist cousin just cannot give time to raise Geoffrey, since he is a business owner and a professor at a dental school. Don't get on here and act like someone is an insufficient parent for being scared about a developmentally challenged child. My aunt and uncle have had the most stressful lives of any human being I've ever known. I've just lost my great aunt to a long time alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking. My uncle has been injured numerous times trying to give my cousin baths and changing his clothes. My aunt and uncle only got a few weeks out of their year to enjoy themselves when camps were open for special needs. We've finally put him into a home and my uncle can finally live his retired life (unfortunately without his wife now). He just can't do it anymore.

When I was younger, I would have said no. Now that I have a special needs child of my own ( going on 25 years of age), and working as a special education teacher with severely handicapped children, I say that it would depend on the specific disability (ies) the child might have.

Many of the children that I see on a daily basis are not able to perform even the most basic functions of daily living, and never will. They require 24/7 care, exhibit extreme behaviors, and many have severe physical handicaps, are non-verbal ( and will never be verbal). In my opinion, these people , at best, will eventually be placed in group homes or institutions when they become 21. "Mainstreaming" such people into society and placing expectations on them the way society does for non-severely disabled people is unrealistic, regardless of laws passed, such as NCLB or Race to the Top. If a person knows that his or her child medically and mentally will suffer when it is born (with medical certainty, and no error of judgment), I would say: Yes, abort the child.

DON'T GET ME WRONG

My friend Matt has Down Syndrome and i love that kid to death!

but honestly if my kid was going to be Special i would abort it because

i actually got into a fight (well it was a two hit altercation that COULD have been an all out brawl...yeah i was that pissed) because some little baby back bitch thought he could push Matt around. he pushed him into a locker and called him mean shit like Re-Re and Radio, he said things like Why do you talk like that! WTF you can't speak right dumb ass? I could have killed that kid! no one should have to go through that being a kid is hard enough, and being made fun of for something u cant control...its sickening to see. idk what i'd do if my kid had to go through that. so yes i would abort my kid if i KNEW s/he was going to be special sorry but it's true.

theirs no point in living if you cant work or understand facts of life. about 15% of Americans are on welfare because of special needs children. its better to get rid of it now than have taxpayers carry the weight of there future.

Absolutely yes, without a doubt.

Fortunately we live in an era in which we can test for quite a bit of common developmental disabilities. I would, without a doubt, abort any baby with special needs - including one with Down's Syndrome.

And guess what, if that makes me a cold person - so what. I'm honest enough to admit that I do not want the responsibility or frustration that goes along with a child with special needs. The matter is one of personal choice. And should a child be born to me with special needs there's no guarantee I wouldn't put it in a nursing home.

i think people who're retarded face a lot of problems as they grow up. more than other normal people. and even though i'd hate to do something like it, it'd probably be the right thing to do.

the world is harsh enough. i don't think anybody so young should have to face the additional mental difficulty besides what the outer world has in store.

abort. start over.

It is no way to live...........................................................................................