“I’m here. I’m alive. I’m human.”

That’s what John, one of the stars of A&E’s new reality show “Born This Way,” proclaimed during the premiere episode last week.

You see, John has Down syndrome.

It seems bizarre that someone capable of formulating a sentence thinks it’s necessary to defend his own humanity, but sadly, John was speaking for himself and millions of others like him who, based on a prenatal genetic test, were recommended for abortion.

John survived. Most don’t.

The statistics are hard to pin down, but experts estimate 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome are never born. Think about the last time you saw a child with the telltale facial features indicative of the genetic condition. It’s far more likely you’ll see them in an adult, who was born before prenatal testing became routine. That doesn’t mean Down syndrome is becoming less prevalent; it means that parents are less and less likely to carry these pregnancies to term.

During the closing credits, John’s mother explains that her family is participating in the program in order to give hope to other families who might be facing the same prenatal diagnosis she did. The show aims to change the perception of individuals with the condition — which Steven, another star, calls “Up Syndrome” because he refuses to be depressed or sad.

The show, which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m., chronicles the social (and even romantic) lives of clients at a Los Angeles community center for adults with Down. There are fights, makeups, flirtations and more. Jon Petrie, the father of one young woman with Down, said it was especially heartening seeing these everyday interactions after watching the premier episode. He told me, “Feelings, dreams and social situations are the same for all of us.”

Many of the characters hold jobs, and one, Megan, even left her hometown in Colorado in order to pursue her dreams of Hollywood stardom. Is her dream so far-fetched? The young woman demands of those watching, “Don’t limit me because I have Down syndrome!”

A former teacher of mine, Susie Scoppa, introduced me to the amazing world that children with Down create for their families. Eight years ago, her daughter Anne (who has Down) asked a friend for art lessons. She quickly excelled at painting still-life images.

So far, her paintings have been featured on a cookbook, two corporate Christmas cards, used as corporate notecards, raffled off for charity and received as special gifts because she paints with a purpose.

Susie told me, “Anne has led us in paths we never imagined — just like our children without Down syndrome.”

That’s not to say life has been easy for them. Life with Down means dealing with heart holes, allergies and more.

Medical science has made it possible to learn about a Down diagnosis via a prenatal test. Parents can learn about the challenges babies, children and adults might face with the condition — but all that focuses on the negatives, not the joy children with Down bring their parents.

Weeding out genetic diseases like Down, whose sufferers can and still do lead full and healthy lives, is eugenics, pure and simple. The most extreme version of which comes from the barbaric terrorists of ISIS, who reportedly issued a decree to execute babies born with Down and other genetic diseases.

In the West, most Down babies don’t make it to birth. There are genetic screening tests for preconception for excruciating and deadly diseases like Tay-Sachs. The difference with testing for Down is two-fold: The test is only possible after conception, and the only prenatal “treatment” is termination.

The fact that we need a TV show to humanize individuals with Down syndrome is deeply troubling to begin with.

Those with disabilities are suddenly expendable and deemed unworthy of the effort it takes to raise them. We need convincing to believe their value as human beings. When John’s mother was told she was pregnant with a child with Down, she was told by doctors, “Don’t expect a lot . . . He will never be a productive member of society.”

With more and more babies with Down aborted, it has become vital to show the world just how wonderful and, yes, normal, life with a Down syndrome family member can be.



Bethany Mandel, a stay-at-home mom, writes on politics and culture.