A fetal diagnosis of Down Syndrome may prompt a woman to confront one of the toughest choices of her life. She must decide if she can provide her future child with critical care and support, so she should always have the right to make that choice.

Down Syndrome is caused by an extra (21 vs 20) chromosome. Raising a Down Syndrome child  is expensive since the parents may face health risks to their child.

Abortion opponents, however, are pushing to make pregnancy terminations illegal under a bill called HB 135. In Ohio, Pro-Life supporters comprise the two-thirds majority of  both houses, which means the bill is suspected to be passed this fall.

Governor John Kasich passed sixteen abortion restrictions since his installment in 2010, including a law forcing women to have an ultrasound and to be offered a chance to see the image of their unborn child before pursuing the abortion.

If Kasich endorses a bill that limits a woman’s access to abortions, he would be compromising a female’s rights to “choice.”

Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, stated this bill is a priority in Ohio because Down Syndrome is easily diagnosed in pregnancies and likely to lead to more abortions. He said, “We all want to be born perfect, but none of us are, and everyone has a right to live, perfect or not.”

Gonidakis is correct in saying that everyone has the right to live, but every human also needs to feel loved and appreciated, costs and choices included.

by Angel Watkins’18