Monday, March 03, 2008

Sherman J. Silber, M.D. - Go Back To School

Taken from Boston.com: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/02/a_4_year_old_ambassador_against_fear/

"This is what "internationally renowned" Sherman J. Silber, M.D., writes in his "completely revised and updated" book "How to Get Pregnant," published by Little Brown and Co. last August: "The biggest fear of most pregnant women is that their child will be abnormal, and the most common abnormality they worry about is Down syndrome. . . . These children are severely retarded mentally, and they usually die before their thirtieth birthday."
more stories like this

He also writes: "We can prevent couples from having to face the horror of giving birth to children with otherwise devastating genetic defects such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, mental retardation, etc., that terrify every woman who ever gets pregnant."

Silber's book has sold more than 400,000 copies. It's been translated into Spanish, German, and Russian. He's been on "Oprah," "Good Morning America," and NPR.

Silber may be popular, but he is wrong."
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Great article - check it out. I cannot believe this idiot is a Doctor.

Monday, February 18, 2008

UNC Professor Says Terminate Fetuses with Down Syndrome

Please see the article here: http://www.lifenews.com/state2906.html

I e-mailed the Chancellor. You can contact UNC here at:

ACTION: Contact UNC about Professor Harris at Office of the Chancellor, 103 South Building, Campus Box 9100, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-9100. Email chancellor@unc.edu, call (919) 962-1365 or fax (919) 962-1647.

Here's my e-mail:

I recently read the article about Professor Harris explaining to students his opinion that fetuses found to have certain trisomies should be aborted. Where did you find this post-war Nazi? Seriously I've heard many Professors opinions during my college years and nothing has offended me as much as hearing this.

My son has Trisomy 21 DS and he is not a regret, he is a member of my family. I don't need to explain this to you. But, what you need to do is either ask your Professor to apologize to people with disabilities or fire him on the spot. I would like for some students to bring in some College Students with DS (yes, oh my God some do manage to make it through life) to sit in on a lecture and have him repeat his stance.

REPLY 2/20/08

Thank you for taking the time to write and let us know that you were offended by the statement that our biology professor made. We at the University are guided by the principles of academic freedom, and our understanding is that Professor Harris was trying to illustrate the ethical and moral questions that science sometimes presents. Nevertheless, his comments were insensitive and hurtful, particularly to those whose lives have been enriched by a child or family member with Down syndrome.

Sincerely,

Nancy Davis
Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill