a new debate

a technology has been invented which will allow prospective parents to test the fetus to see if it has autustic traits. since such a device was developed for fetuses with down syndrome, we have seen a spike in the number of abortions for those children. it is likely a prenatal autism test would do the same for autistic children. now, i come to this issue as a general supporter of abortion, but i strongly object to this, which strikes me as a form of discriminatory eugenics. children who have autism do present a set of challenges, but so do many children who do not have autism. it has been my honor to work with a young man who has asperger syndrome. he is endlessly brilliant, creative and funny. his memory is stunning, and his intelligence profound. i have also had the honor of getting to know a young boy who will soon be my nephew. he is only 5, but he has an intensity of concentration and an intelligence that goes beyond many in his age group. there is nothing about either of these children that makes them any less than children who do not have autism, and it would be a crime to abort them, and others like them, for that reason and that reason only. abortion is a right; of that i have no question, but such a selective and mean spirited use of it would rob us of many interesting and talented people. let us remember that autistic people have tremendous powers of concentration and stunning memories. it is possible that einstein himself, who did not speak until he was 4, and who preferred a simple routine each and every day (it is said that autistic children need routine, as in their eating habits) may have been autistic. there is a brilliance about this disorder. people who have it often pick up languages by ear, and learn things that are beyond the reach of "normal" people. anyone familiar with even a couple of autistic people can testify that they may be awkward socially, and have some issues with language, but that they are also intelligent and creative people. no fetus should be aborted because it may be autistic. this is no reason to abort. instead, we need to educate ourselves about what autism is, and work to support the people who have it, as well as their non autistic loved ones.

if anything needs to be aborted, it is our simple minded ignorance about those who are different from ourselves. it is a fascist ideology that would excuse eliminating people because of their health. as a society, we need to think about that. this is not merely science at work, but it is science in the service of supremacist ideas of what constitutes normality and health. as such, it is a sick device, and should not be used.