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My sister was born with Down's syndrome though in those days the term was 'mongol' which was very difficult to deal with the cruel jokes at school you had to listen to and be called a 'killjoy' for not laughing at them. I was 6 onwards at the time.

Now thankfully things are much better both for the 'Down's syndrome' babies - named after Dr. J H Down who discovered the 23rd chromosome factor, along with the extra birth defects that naturally occur with this.

It does not stop children who are born with this for some reason unknown to us, and thank goodness for that for they are lovely caring gentle personalities with some traits that a lot of people with less chromosomes could learn from.

Like all babies the way that they are handled from birth, spoken to and treated affects their growth, along with the understanding needed from those around them in society. They are people who have feelings, personalities of their own and bring a tremendous amount of joy to those who care for them.

If my sister had been allowed to have a heart operation mending the hole in that heart which did not need a replacement, just a few stiches - she would be living with me today. Instead the operation was refused in 1957 just on the grounds that she was a 'mongol' and would have no quality of life. As it turned out she was 'gone' in 1965 when I was 15.

Thank God we have learnt so much since then and now not only just consider the new baby and parents but the siblings as well. So often they are just not important in the family in favour of 'the only one' who needs care.

I do hope this helps you all there. If I had the chance to have a Down's baby today, the last thing on my mind would be to get rid of him/her.

They teach us to care.

I have two sisters and a brother. My older sister is 19, my brother is 14 and my younger sister is 9, I am 17.
My younger sister has Down's syndrome.
She is our star.

This radio show, Born with Down's, made me quiet angry and very sad. Felicity Finch was very negative throughout the whole show and she had decided that more babies who have Down's being born is a bad thing.
its not at all.
My sister is at main stream school, where she has lots of friends. She has an LSA (learning support assistant) in the mornings but manages more or less on her own in the afternoons. Shes part of the choir and takes part in concerts and shows the same as anyone else her age.
My sister is very independant, she will often refuse help because she will want to prove everyone wrong, and surely enough, she manages.
Her speech isn't bad, no one struggles to understand her, it's not the same standerd as others her age, but its not far off.

The paediatrician interviewed in this radio show particularly got to me when she said that;
"Siblings lose out in a big way because life sort of revolves around the childs needs. They might be embarrased to have their friends over for a sleepover or at home."

This is complete rubbish.
None of my siblings or myself have ever lost out, nor have we been ignored or had less attention. We have never been embarrassed of our sister. This is what hurt me and upset me the most because she's still our sister, what ever problems or disabilities she may have, shes still our baby sister.
None of us have ever faced prejedice from friends, our friends all love our sister and treat her the same as they would anyone else.

As for the future, I'm perfectly sure that my sister will be able to live at least semi-independantly, and my older sister, my brother and I would all be more than willing to spend time with her or take her shopping or give her a hand. It would be a privilege not a hinderance.

As for resources and carers for those who need it, the government will just have to deal with the fact that more children who have Down's are being born. There job is to help and to provide for the people who need it.