The plight of children with Down syndrome and how complete strangers react was addressed by a French mother whose used the popular social media outlet Facebook to speak about her four-month-old daughter, Louise, who is afflicted with the disorder that affects approximately one in 700 babies.
Caroline Boudet made particular mention of the insensitive comments of people who are unfamiliar with how the affliction comes about. She specifically notes that people will ask if the disorder wasn’t discovered during the pregnancy, which to the woman seems pointless. That’s because the parents chose to have the child regardless of the end result, or they weren’t aware of it and the pain of finding out is still too raw for them to respond.
Another area that annoyed Boudet was what was perceived as patronizing responses to how the mother sees the child. In these cases, the individuals making such comments tend to react as if the child is simply something to be taken care of, instead of an individual to be loved, like any other child.
After posting her comments, Boudet received countless comments in support, with one mother of a 30-year-old son with the disorder noting how she wouldn’t trade him for anything.
Among disorders that chromosome-based, Down syndrome is the most common. Due to continuing research on the disorder, the lifespan of those afflicted with it has increased. In addition, the quality of life they have is much better, with no thought of institutionalizing them, as was done generations ago.