Michael Gerson wrote a moving article about the New Eugenics; killing babies that may be imperfect. He points out that Civil rights for women, blacks and other minorities have risen while protections for “defective” babies has fallen dismally.

The wrenching diagnosis of 47 chromosomes must seem to parents like the end of a dream instead of the beginning of a life. But children born with Down syndrome — who learn slowly but love deeply — are generally not experienced by their parents as a curse but as a complex blessing. And when allowed to survive, men and women with an extra chromosome experience themselves as people with abilities, limits and rights. Yet when Down syndrome is detected through testing, many parents report that genetic counselors and physicians emphasize the difficulties of raising a child with a disability and urge abortion.

This is properly called eugenic abortion — the ending of “imperfect” lives to remove the social, economic and emotional costs of their existence. And this practice cannot be separated from the broader social treatment of people who have disabilities. By eliminating less perfect humans, deformity and disability become more pronounced and less acceptable. Those who escape the net of screening are often viewed as mistakes or burdens. A tragic choice becomes a presumption — “Didn’t you get an amnio?” — and then a prejudice. And this feeds a social Darwinism in which the stronger are regarded as better, the dependent are viewed as less valuable, and the weak must occasionally be culled.

Christians must not sit on the sidelines while this happens in America. Now is a good time to speak up and tell the truth.

Read the entire article by Michael Gerson – Trig’s Breakthrough.

You may also want to read Andrew Sulivan’s article, Why Trig Matters for an additional perspective.