In 1993 my youngest son was born with Downs Syndrome. At the time of birth we were unaware that there were any issues until the morning after he was born. To my horror the hospital gave us the option of going home without him, and I am pleased to say that we never gave that a thought. He is now 14 yrs old, has deferred learning and speech, but is very much a typical teenager. I sometimes think that his older brother who's 21 is harder work... It's not all been plain sailing, we deal with issues as and when they arise and in general cope with everyday life no differently than any other family. I'm extremely proud of both my boys as they both offer something different to this world we live in.
Susanne Bain, Ely, Cambridgeshire
I did not have a child with Down's Syndrome but I tested positive when my mother got tested. She said that I was her daughter and she would love me regardless. Although I was not born with Down's, it was my mother's acceptance of a Down's baby that allowed me to live. I'm very glad that acceptance is playing such a large role in ending terminations, especially since my mother's diagnosis was wrong and if it wasn't for her unconditional love of me, I wouldn't exist.
Janet, Brentwood, United States of America
Having read some of the comments, it is interesting that most of the parents talk about the choice that they had and that few seem to have mentioned the impact that a child with Downs might have on the rest of the family. It was confirmed that our baby had Downs after an amnio test. Although we dearly wanted another child, we also dearly loved our son, aged five at the time, and we did not wish to place a burden on him for caring for a baby with Downs after we had died. It was a decision which we think about constantly and broke our hearts, but I think was the right thing to do.
Anonymous, Gateshead, UK
I had my daughter Freya in December 2006 and didn't know she had Downs Syndrome until she was born, but knowing the love and...