It seems that Channel Seven in Australia has caused a bit of furore as one of its programs, All Saints -- a medical drama, has suggested that there is a causal link between incest and down syndrome. This apparently went so far as to allude to the fact that all children of incestuous relationships were likely to be down syndrome. I must confess I have not watched the program and I am merely commenting on the reports I have read. I get to watch All Saints in Jakarta on Australia Network if I want to and I have to say I have not watched an episode yet.I am also not a medical doctor. So I had to research a little about down syndrome before I felt comfortable commenting in any way, shape, or form.
From my very brief amount of research I have found that down syndrome is a chromosomal error. Simply, you are supposed to have 46 chromosomes, 23 from your mother and 23 from your father. however, somewhere in the miracle of life you end up with 47 and you are then categorized as being down syndrome. There is nothing to suggest that incest plays a role in promoting this error in chromosomes to occur.
If this is in fact the case, I am surprised that a show dealing with medicine and by all accounts employing a consultant doctor would allow this kind of assertion to enter into the mainstream.
It is already being reported that children with down syndrome and their siblings are being taunted and bullied as being inbred. This is sad!
I have know a few down syndrome kids in my life, not many, but I have always found them to be great company, to be fun, and to be so much more giving than those of us who have been "lucky" enough to get 46 and not 47 chromosomes. I have learned much more from those friendships and acquaintances than I think they have ever learned from me.
If Channel Seven has aired what it is alleged to have aired then it needs to do something about it. This is a backward step and reverses the great amount of good work done by down syndrome advocates over many years. And for what? Ratings?
People with down syndrome are still people! They can and do live productive lives and in many cases more productive lives than those of us who have not been born with the same challenges.
Just another RAB rant! No apologies though! The picture above is a screen capture from the offending episode! I am not an expert on own syndrome or on television ethics, so this is just me expressing my opinion (and I have many)! Criticism, constructive preferred, is always welcome!
