The choices we have to make, in the name of perfection

When I was pregnant with Cola, the tests for Down Syndrome came back as a mild shock: I was classified as a "high risk" group with a 1 in 240 chance of carrying a Down Syndrome baby. My obstetrician immediately rang me up and proposed the option of an amniocentesis test, in which a needle is stuck into the uterus, which would give a 100% certain answer.  My immediate response was, "So what if I'm certain? Would I terminate the baby? No way!"

Later on, when I asked around for my friend's view on the matter, I am surprised at the number of people who would actually opt for an abortion if their fetus has Down Syndrome.  "Why have a baby that can negatively affect your life?" they say.

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The other day, I showed my mum the picture of a friend's baby who was born at about the same time as Cola.  Fate has it that the little boy has breathing problems and needed breathing tubes and oxygen tanks ever since he has been home from the hospital.  My mum cold-bloodily suggested, "Just donate the baby to the hospital for medical research and let him die! It's such a painful way to live for the parents and the child."  Out of anger, I reproach her for her cruelty, little faith in miracles and short patience with children.

My God! I was absolutely stunned.  My very own mother would kill us too if we were born less than perfect.  

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Today at a restaurant, the waitress saw my 2 boys and asked me if I would try for a third one, to get a girl.  I jokingly asked, "What if it's a boy again? 3 boys in the house, that would be a riot!"

"If the ultra-sound scan shows that it's a boy, just abort it!", she said with a matter-of-fact air.  "It's better that he die rather than I 'die' with this burden." 

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• Is this world obsessed with creating perfect children, now that technology allows us to do so?
  
• Is is really a "life-style choice" for people to choose whether one should terminate an abnormal fetus?  
  
• Do we really need to push our kids to do better, do more, do well, strive for an artificial standard of perfection from a very young age?