For every pregnant woman, a baby remains a hypothetical being for a long time. Even once that baby is born, parents don't know whether she will love music, whether that straight hair will all fall out or turn curly or change color, whether he will fight with his siblings, whether her life will be marked by sorrow or by joy or both in equal measure. But from the first indication that she is pregnant, parents begin to dream about their children and who they might become. Most parents know that their dreams won't all become realities, but their dreams seem possible. When women assume they are carrying a typical child, the future holds endless possibilities. It is a place rich for imagination.
The prospect of disability often cuts off the possibilities of imagining a good life, not necessarily because a good life is impossible, but because a good life with a disability is unknown. Families with children with disabilities testify across the spectrum. Some suffer. Some experience great fulfillment and joy. Neither suffering nor joy becomes a guarantee, with or without a prenatal diagnosis. And yet stories of families who are living with children with disabilities offer women an opportunity to begin to imagine.
from my forthcoming ebook, What Everyone Needs to Know About Prenatal Testing, to be published by Patheos Press in September, 2012.
