Blogger > Salvatore Amenta

Congratulations to Antonia Zerbisias for her heartfelt article celebrating the valued contributions of people with Down syndrome. The downside of this thought-provoking article is that it raises the spectre of eugenics in parents' not-so-innocent wish to have “the perfect child.” With new testing that detects the presence of the extra chromosome responsible for Down syndrome, women now have the “choice” of terminating their pregnancies in order to avoid the “burden” of caring for a disabled child.

Oh, the horror!

One could be forgiven for thinking it would be wonderful to have a master-race of perfect humans, or to play God and be able to call all the shots long before the game even begins — except that it would be a nightmare come true for the little Hitler in us.

Herein lies the irony: human greatness often comes with a generous dollop of disability. Beethoven, Hellen Keller and Van Gogh immediately come to mind.

The real lesson in Zerbisias's account is little Betsy Stein's wish to be part of the real world at West Prep public school. She teaches us that we may well find the essence of our humanity in our disabilities.

Oh, to be humble enough to leave perfection to God, and open enough to the miraculous possibilities of human life!