Harsh Reality

Sara has been absolutely delightful lately.  She is adjusting amazingly well and is starting to understand both the limits that come with consistent parenting and the security that comes with a family.  Her behavior has improved greatly (*at home at least) and she is just the cutest, cuddliest, funniest, most loving child ever (95% of the time).  I really enjoy just being around her.

*I have recently learned that she's down right naughty at school.  

In all honesty, I don't really think about her birth parents much.  I'm not sure why but that's just how it is for me.  But, this weekend, I started thinking about them.  I started thinking about how they are missing out on this amazing kid.  I began to wonder if her birth siblings are as great as she is.

Then, I had a horrible thought.....

If Sara had been conceived in the United States, she would most likely have been aborted.  

70% of women in the US will choose to have prenatal screening.  Of those 70%, 84-91% of the women who find out they are carrying a child with Down syndrome will choose to abort.  (I got my stats here.)

I won't go into Sara's history here and I don't know the abortion laws in Colombia.  But, even without knowing those things, you can see that statistics would not have been in her favor.  (Knowing what I do, I am almost certain which choice her birth mother would have made.)  

I don't want to get into a huge political debate about abortion or religion or choices.  I just want to share the realization that I had this weekend.  My child's life was most likely spared because she was NOT conceived in this country.  While I'm so glad she is here now, I'm glad she was born there.