The Last Children of Down Syndrome
The Atlantic|December 2020
Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn't. This is just the beginning.
By Sarah Zhang
The Last Children of Down Syndrome

Every few weeks or so, Grete Fält-Hansen gets a call from a stranger asking a question for the first time: What is it like to raise a child with Down syndrome?

Sometimes the caller is a pregnant woman, deciding whether to have an abortion. Sometimes a husband and wife are on the line, the two of them in agonizing disagreement. Once, Fält-Hansen remembers, it was a couple who had waited for their prenatal screening to come back normal before announcing the pregnancy to friends and family. “We wanted to wait,” they’d told their loved ones, “because if it had Down syndrome, we would have had an abortion.” They called Fält-Hansen after their daughter was born—with slanted eyes, a flattened nose, and, most unmistakable, the extra copy of chromosome 21 that defines Down syndrome. They were afraid their friends and family would now think they didn’t love their daughter—so heavy are the moral judgments that accompany wanting or not wanting to bring a child with a disability into the world.

This story is from the December 2020 edition of The Atlantic.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2020 edition of The Atlantic.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE ATLANTICView All
Saint Dismas
The Atlantic

Saint Dismas

Carlito held one end of the rope, Omar the other.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
Why Do Animals Play?
The Atlantic

Why Do Animals Play?

Scientists want an evolutionary explanation. But maybe the answer is simply: Its fun.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2024
The Insider
The Atlantic

The Insider

Is Kara Swisher tearing down tech billionaires—or burnishing their legends?

time-read
10 mins  |
April 2024
A Bloody Retelling of Huckleberry Finn
The Atlantic

A Bloody Retelling of Huckleberry Finn

Percival Everett transforms Mark Twain’ classic.

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024
THE SECRET GOSPEL
The Atlantic

THE SECRET GOSPEL

A Columbia history professor claimed that he discovered a sacred text with shocking details about the life of Jesus. Was it real?

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
AFTER THE MIRACLE
The Atlantic

AFTER THE MIRACLE

Cystic fibrosis once guaranteed an early deathbut a medical breakthrough has given many patients a chance to live decades longer than expected. What do they do now?

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
JODIE FOSTER'S LIFE ON-SCREEN
The Atlantic

JODIE FOSTER'S LIFE ON-SCREEN

SINCE CHILDHOOD, SHE'S STRUGGLED WITH ONE QUESTION: HOW MUCH DOES SHE WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW HER?

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
THE END OF THE GOLDEN AGE
The Atlantic

THE END OF THE GOLDEN AGE

ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT THREATENS TO END AN UNPRECEDENTED PERIOD OF SAFETY AND PROSPERITY FOR JEWISH AMERICANS-AND DEMOLISH THE LIBERAL ORDER THEY HELPED ESTABLISH.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2024
The Radio Squirrels of Point Reyes
The Atlantic

The Radio Squirrels of Point Reyes

\"Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.\" With that, in January 1997, the French Coast Guard transmitted its final message in Morse code.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
THE GRUMPY ECONOMY
The Atlantic

THE GRUMPY ECONOMY

Why Americans trust feelings more than facts when it comes to prosperity

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024