Finding out your child has special needs is certainly one of life's major curveballs, but it isn't a Shakespearean tragedy. A Florida mom has struck back at a doctor who repeatedly suggested she abort her baby with Down Syndrome (DS).
Mom-of-three Courtney Baker penned the viral letter to a prenatal specialist who, instead of reassuring her that things would be OK, told her the future would be bleak and advised her to terminate the pregnancy.
Fortunately Baker ignored that advice, and today claims her 15 month-old daughter, Emersyn Faith, opened her eyes to "true beauty and pure love." She has added to the quality of their family's life, rather than diminished it as the specialist suggested.
Instead of offering support and encouragement at a time when Baker felt "terrified, anxious and in complete despair," the doctor repeatedly suggested Baker reconsider going through with the pregnancy.
It's incredible in this day and age that medical professionals still push abortion in pregnancies that present Down Syndrome.
Having a child with special needs is challenging, for sure. But to suggest that such a child's life is somehow less worthy - and by extension that its family would only benefit from having a neurotypical child - is woefully ignorant and misguided.
In some ways, having a child with extra needs makes life richer and family ties, stronger.
I'm not saying doctors should go around saying children with disabilities are "perfect" as Baker suggests. Professionals have a duty to impart medical facts and options. But they should limit themselves to the facts alone - and not their preconceived judgments and personal opinions about the worthiness of an unborn baby's life.
If Baker wanted more information, she should have been directed to the countless websites and blogs about and from individuals with Down Syndrome. She could have been referred to sites where she could connect directly with parents who are actually raising children with DS, and let her draw her own conclusions.
"I knew how important it was going to be to write that letter, before Emmy was even born," said Baker.
Of course she couldn't have predicted just how important that letter would become - a must-read for all prospective parents and medical professionals.
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