You know the expression “expecting a baby,” and you know it means that a baby will be born in the future. The title of the commentary by Marc Thiessen, “Babies with Down syndrome still have a right to life” (Portland Press Herald, March 9), implies infanticide, whereas Thiessen’s commentary is about abortion.
I am wondering why the Portland Press Herald chose to republish a Washington Post column that is in its essence sensationalist and inaccurate. Thiessen’s byline makes no mention of the fact that he is a conservative Republican, and by the way, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (an ultraconservative think tank), and a strong proponent of “enhanced interrogation” for Islamic extremists (he singles out Islamic extremists for torture), ironic given the ethical argument he is making.
His slanted reporting of what the statistics in Iceland show clearly reveals him to be a right-wing ideologue in his extreme anti-abortion agenda.
Is there not a responsibility of the Portland Press Herald to fact-check this type of statistical information before deciding to publish (republish)?
I recommend reading “The Real Story of Iceland ‘Eradicating’ Down Syndrome through Abortion,” published Aug. 17, 2017, by relevantmagazine.com, which attempts to clarify the facts, emphasizing the importance of getting facts correct when dealing with complicated issues such as the ethics of prenatal testing and societal discrimination against people with disabilities.
Let us also bear in mind that abortion is legal in Iceland, that Icelandic women themselves decide to opt in or opt out of prenatal testing, and that it is the right of the woman to make decisions about her own body.
Deborah Schneider
Falmouth
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