Imagine your four year-old comes up to you and asks, “Mommy, what’s a ‘wrongful birth’?” You respond, “Well, that’s what you are, Sweetie. You were my ‘wrongful birth’.”
That is what little Kalanit Levy will come to grips with some day. Kalanit (sometimes, I wonder why the parents bothered giving her a name) was born with Downs Syndrome. Her parents (and I only use the word in a biological sense) wished that she had never been born. That’s their argument, at least. Ariel and Deborah Levy argued in court that their daughter had been “wrongfully born” due to doctors’ error in prenatal tests. The jury sympathized with the couple and awarded the Levys $2.9 million.
The child will forever know that Mom and Dad were so disturbed by her birth that they felt the need to sue. Would this not be a case of psychological abuse? How can a child, especially one with special needs, grow up in a home where the parents publicly admitted their displeasure in their child’s birth? The parents in this case, need to give Kalanit up for adoption. This solution will benefit both parties. The child should grow up in a home where she can feel loved and protected and the biological parents would no longer be burdened by this “wrongful birth.”
I’m all for compensation for when someone is injured, but what a horrible argument to make before God and everyone else that the “injury” sustained was the birth of little Kalanit Levy.
Further Reading on this story - Portland Couple Awarded $2.9M in Wrongful Birth Case; Say They Would Have Aborted Child
There is simply no level of Hell painful enough for these people….
If I had a baby with Down’s Syndrome, I would abort it too. Having a child like this will completely change your life. Of course the baby can be loved, but it leads to extreme stress on the parents, financially and emotionally.
So tell us, Eric. What is your ‘acceptable defect’ threshold? We know Down’s Syndrome is out of the question, so what about leukemia? Maybe MS? Terrible afflictions, those, both financially and emotionally, right?
Blindness? Deafness? Speech impediment? My goodness! Can you just IMAGINE all the extra time and effort it would take to deal with something like that?
Eric,
So the value of a child’s life should be measured by how much stress the parents can expect to be placed under?
Oh wow Eric, a kid changes your life? No bull, Sherlock. In sincerely hope you are unable to ever have a child.
Gee, Eric….. Having a child changes your life!!
From what I’ve known of kids with Down’s Syndrome, they’re far easier to raise than most kids….. especially when they become teenagers!!
If you’ve ever been blessed with the opportunity to love or even know a person with DS, which I suspect you never have, you would know how wonderfully giving they are. Their disabilities are nothing compared to the mental midgets who judge them from afar.
Please, for the love of God, do not ever have any children. If you don’t have the ability to love a child unconditionally, you have no business having any at all!!
I gotta say, my views on abortion are currently those of Dennis Miller’s, and I don’t expect that to be welcomed at MP. However, even this is awful. I would almost feel better if they made up some stuff that happened at birth to be so bad to warrant money, and I think that situation is reprehensible itself.
oh you’re secretly a liberal…its OK, come to the smart side. god has you staying republican…when you realize he is fake, we will be ready for you.
I am not even religious, dude……and even then, a troll like you can’t convince me to not be Republican. You can’t prove that God isn’t fake, true, but you also can’t prove that he is.
God help us all!
Are you kidding me?? My life has been full of ups and downs…lots of downs!! Brief synopsis: had cancer when I was11, my dad died during my chemotherapy, our house was hit by a tornado. Got through all of this. Got married, pregnant, told the doc what chemos I had received. He mentioned doing an echo. Never did. My baby was born (and was in the NICU), then I had a stroke at 24. It was because of the chemo I had received. I could’ve sued my obgyn…but I didn’t. I have been through so much crap, but I know that God has brought me through all of this. I’m working on a book right now. Just telling people what all God has done for me. God brings you through everything to prove how amazing He is. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, sometimes your prayers aren’t answered the way you thought they would be. It just makes me closer to Jesus, the perfecter of my faith.
Jess, I was going to say the cliche , “I don’t want to be on this planet anymore. Get me off this rock”, that is usually how I feel when I come across stories like this. But then I read your comment. Its easy to forget what life is about and how precious it is, how soon it can all end. As well as while in between the beginning to the end, how crappy people can be to each other especially the most innocent, and weakest of our species. You put it into perspective, perhaps that’s what a lot of people, especially Kalanit’s parents, are missing today, perspective (among other things). Thanks and God bless.
Really, Jess? god has been good to you? you fucking idiot. doctors kept you alive…why did you bother going to see them, why not just pray? god can heal everyone right?
i can not believe we still have religious people in the year 2012. such a fucking joke.
To Eric,
Who are you to call someone an idiot for believing there is something greater than themselves out there? If you don’t believe it then fine. But, you have no right to say such awful things to someone who has been through as much as Jess has. Her beliefs gave her peace, gave her comfort and helped her through her trials. I realize that you just come here to say nasty things hoping to get a rise out of all of us and I’m really only giving you what you want – a reaction. But, I just couldn’t let what you said go unanswered. I feel really sorry for you. Whatever happened to you to make you such a cynic is unfortunate. I hope and pray that someday you won’t always feel this hateful towards those with faith.
Eric, you must be one of those *compassionate* liberals that I keep hearing about, but have yet to meet.
Hate to say it but some people simply aren’t equipped to raise a child with such handicaps. It would be nice to think everyone was able to do so, that everyone had it within them to be super caring and loving. But the reality is not everyone does, I’m not even sure you could say most do. Sometimes I think people hold the human race in general to unrealistically high standards. What if we all admitted that most parents aren’t equipped to handle that kind of situation… what then, what if instead of expecting them to hide their feelings (which kids always figure out anyway) we looked for options… like adoption and made that easier (adoption is NOT an easy process currently). Dunno… just thinking out loud really, wishing there was a better solution for everyone, the kid, the parents, everybody.
I suppose if there is any “bright side” to that story is that at least the $2.9M will probably be enough to pay for the special education needs the child will almost certainly have, any special care needs that may arise, medical care, and so forth. Assuming the parents use it for that and not a trip to Vegas. Not knowing the full story, who knows, maybe that was their intent, would be nice to think so I guess.
Bad situation any way you slice it. Heinlein once proposed that people ought to have a license to have kids… never happen of course… but sometimes you wonder if he didn’t have a point.
Hey Eric Johnson,
Why are you so intolerant and judgmental?
Eric must have gotten banned from FARK again.
Pay attention to him at your own risk.
Eric, please get a vasectomy. Faith doesn’t guarantee you a problem-free life, it gives you strength to deal with problems.
Jess, you are an inspiration.
Parenthood of healthy, normal kids is challenging, but let me tell you when your child is in pain or struggling you will move mountains to do what’s necessary. Nature ensures it. I will give the benefit of the doubt to the couple that sued for damages and choose to believe they will use the money to give their child great care.