2023-06-23 12:58:42
‘I once heard that someone had a child with Down’s syndrome taken away. They will find that too much of a hassle, I thought,’ says Liz van Velzen, accompanied by Corvers. Before Van Velzen experienced it herself, she had prejudices. ‘I thought people didn’t feel like the amount of care. But with us it is exactly the opposite. We wanted to take care of the child, but we live too short.’
That also plays a role in the choice of Corvers and her husband. “I already had a toddler walking around. No matter how you look at it, he will always have to take part in the care. In the short term, extra care would have gone to his brother. But also in the longer term, the care would irrevocably fall on the shoulders of our eldest son. We don’t think so fair to him.”
Clinical geneticist Robert-Jan Galjaard talks to parents in situations like this. He recognizes the questions and considerations of Elsemiek Corvers and Liz van Velzen. ‘Parents want to know where they stand. We also talk about how people with Down who are older are doing. Fortunately, people with the syndrome live to be quite old. Many parents ask: ‘What if I’m not here anymore? What can they do then?’ Of course you don’t know that for every individual child, but you do know in general. In this way, parents can form an idea of what could happen if they are no longer there to guide and care.’
#Elsemiek #aborted #pregnancy #syndrome #HUMAN