I am offended by George Will’s politically loaded article, which should have been balanced with an editor’s disclaimer clarifying his agenda.
While I do not favor abortion and believe children should be raised by their parents, Mr. Will blithely ignores the reality of such decisions and the pain with which many parents have to wrestle, either because they cannot afford to raise their handicapped children or, worse, have to face the horror of one of the many developmental diseases that are far worse than Down syndrome.
Mr. Will alludes to the genetic lottery that every birth entails, but he does not allude to the material and social lottery that is also involved. Jon is fortunate, if not in his genetics then in the family into which he was born. There are many children with such genetic anomalies who would love to go to baseball games, but their families will never be able to provide season tickets, let alone the opportunity to meet baseball heroes. While I would not deprive Jon of one bit of his “gift of serenity,” I would suggest Mr. Will spend time with some of the other children and families who have not been so fortunate.