If you disapprove of Nazis and the holocaust you’re disapproving something they stood for. It’s called eugenics, and in a nutshell it’s about annihilating anyone who falls behind because they aren’t deserving of life. Nasty? Well, you don’t need the Nazis to make that happen. Someone else is already doing that.
Us.
The measure of ability is relative to perception, to tolerance. So we criticise, we judge. Anyone falling short of our yardstick falls out of our favour. Take it and further and we’d end up thinking the world would be better off without them.
In eugenics, we end up culling them, killing them. And the greater and more capable you are the longer your yardstick becomes. More people would be falling short of it, and in eugenics, this meant more people would have to be killed.
Eugenics renders many obsolete and redundant; the Average Joe, the special needs community, the joy-loving bunch of people with Down syndrome. Do you abhor eugenicists and supremacists? We might be one without even knowing it.
We try to create a world without Down syndrome because we think they are unworthy of it.
We try to kill them off.
There’s amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, cordocentesis, and now there’s something called non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) that detects Down syndrome with 99% accuracy. It’s quick, it’s convenient. So it’s no wonder over 98% of Down syndrome pregnancies in the UK were being terminated. In Iceland, all foetuses with Down syndrome were destroyed. Thousands of innocent, effusive smiles would never be seen, thousands of lives might never be touched.
This season, as we dive into the mirth and gaieties with beautiful, capable people around us, remember those who weren’t given the opportunity to see Christmas.
And if you’re a parent steeped in grief, in the confusion and fear of an uncertain future for yourself and your unborn child, take a moment to ponder this Christmas. Consider the possibility that nothing happens by chance. Consider giving yourself an opportunity to make a difference, to learn wisdom, to experience a love so rare it is bestowed to only a few amongst hundreds and thousands each year.
Consider giving someone a gift of life by receiving it.
The little life inside you might touch thousands or she might touch one. Above all, she will touch you. And it’d be of worth greater than wealth.
Have a blessed and merry Christmas.
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2:10
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