Making a Case for Life Book Tour

Making a Case for Life is a new parenting/family/social needs book by Stephanie Wincik. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or newly pregnant, you know that most prospective parents hold high expectations for their offspring. Superior intelligence, physical beauty, excellent health, and outstanding athletic ability are just a few of the qualities we dream our children will be born with. Since contemporary society tends to value these qualities above all others, it is only natural for us to hope our children possess the attributes that will provide them with the greatest opportunity for a successful life.

But what if your child arrives with a different set of qualities—a combination of traits that the world views as a disability? What if you are told that your child will have Down syndrome? What happens to your dream of producing the perfect child? Nothing need happen to your dream. You only need to alter your definition of perfection.

This book explores the myth of the perfect child, along with a number of popularly-held yet erroneous beliefs about the negative impact of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome. At the same time, you will begin to develop a new perspective on which characteristics are truly the most desirable in a changing world. As our society becomes increasingly self-absorbed, materialistic, and violent, the new human beings entering the world will need a fresh arsenal of personal qualities if our planet is to survive and thrive.

Here is an excerpt from the book:
"For example, one of the most frequently cited reasons given for the termination of a Down syndrome pregnancy is that the birth of a disabled child would cause undue stress and hardship for the parents. But—and this may come as a surprise to some—first-hand accounts shared by parents of these individuals suggest that this scenario is rarely the case. In fact, the vast majority of families report that living with an individual with Down syndrome is a decidedly positive aspect of their lives.

Ongoing medical problems for the person with Down syndrome is another common concern. Many believe that every individual with Down syndrome is destined for a lifetime of sensory deficits, cardiac disease, dementia, and premature death. However, advances in medicine in recent decades have dramatically improved the health of these individuals throughout their life span, and in turn their life expectancy has significantly increased as well."

My Opinion

This book was such an eye opener for me! Throughout my time as a mother and health professional, I have not had to meet or treat any Down Sydrome patients, children, or adults. I just haven't had much contact with them. Therefore, I held many of the same fears of the unknown that Stephanie talks about in this book!

This book helped me face many of my fears and debunk many of the myths I have always thought about Down Syndrome. It also opened my eyes to a very scary fact - 90% of Down Syndrome babies are being aborted! I couldn't believe it! To me that is so sad and so needless! It made me want to learn as much as I could about Down Syndrome so that if some day I or someone I know is faced with that kind of decision, they will have all the facts and not just the myths society puts out there!

This book was great! I loved every minute of reading it! It broke down all the myths and brought out the facts about Down Syndrome in an easy to read but informative way! I learned a lot and I am glad I read it. It is definitely going to go in my library to reference for future situations and also to pass on to other friends and family that are ever facing a situation dealing with Down Syndrome!

I recommend this book to all people - young, old, man, or woman! It is a must read for all people so that we stop segregating, ostricizing, and, most importantly, aborting Down Syndrome babies! It will open your eyes to many truths about Down Syndrome you never knew before!

Pros: easy to read, broken down into helpful sections, great interviews with Down Syndrome individuals and their families, great information that is helpful to anyone that needs or wants to learn about Down Syndrome

Cons: The only thing I can say is I wish she would have kept on writing! :o) The information was fascinating, informative, and helpful and I didn't want the book to end!

Buy It: You can purchase this book on Stephanie Wincik's website for $9.99

* Thank you to Pump Up Your Book and Stephanie Wincik for this book for review!

Disclosure - This book was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*