General Chat

reactions tell the judge is right,,,,,,,,but having Downs isnt the end of having a relationship......perhaps if her health is good, precautions can be administered.

Whilst it would depend on the severity of the Downs, if my brother-in-law who lives with us were female then a sterilisation would be a definite choice.

With a mental age of no more than five, not able to read, write, hold any sort of conversation, make a hot drink let alone a meal, requiring 24/7 supervision, a hysterectomy before puberty would have been in "her" best interests.

In the case of this girl, is she be able to understand marriage, periods and sex? If not, unless she is to be kept virtually under lock and key then the judge is wrong. She has a human right to live a "normal" life within her understanding, not to be put through things beyond her comprehension.

I'm another 'don't know' on this one.

Sterilisation can fail, tubes can 'untie' themselves. It can also increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Failure is rare, about 1 in 200, but not impossible. Maybe the implant/injection would be better, at least for now.

If K doesn't have the capacity to make decisions about contraception does she have the capacity to consent to sexual intercourse. If not then pregnancy, although still a concern, is not the most important concern.

Having pondered on this one I believe that any decision should be based on the mental age of the subject and not the chronological age.
If someone has a mental age of, say, twelve, then any decisions should be based on that age. Not only for Downs but for any sort of mental impairment and for any decisions regarding their life.
Intercourse with a twelve year old would be illegal. If that were the case here, then, since the subject would be expected to remain at that mental age, then any action to mitigate the consequences of that condition is in their interests.

It is really very difficult to say, but really just stop and think about what would you do if it was your child in these circumstances? My sons step daughter “E” has learning difficulties. My DIL and my son have talked to her about boy friends and explained what can happen in a relationship. She has had a couple of boyfriends at school but nothing serious, they have always encouraged her to bring all of her friends home and are very aware of where she is going, who she is with and what she is doing. She is so honest, and when asked she will just tell it as it is. My son & DIL are loving, generous and responsible parents they both adore “E”, as does the rest of the family.
There is no way that she would be able to cope with independent living for the foreseeable future. I think we all agree the prospect of her having a baby would be unfair on her and also the baby. “E” is tall, beautiful looking; a very happy and bubbly girl, who thinks everyone is her friend. She is almost nineteen and has always been well below her age in maturity and reasoning. She has recently left school and started at a local collage where they have a wonderful special needs 6th form department. She loves it there and feels much more confident and assured., but there is still a vulnerability about her that she could so easily be taken advantage of. As a family we have talked about “E” and what they would do if she started a relationship, at the moment they have decided that a contraceptive-implant would possibly be the best option. My concern regarding “E” becoming pregnant is how she would cope not just with a baby, with a child as he/she becomes older.
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Downs is a chromosome thing isn't it? I used to have a friend who had Downs syndrome and she was eventually living in a home where I would visit her.

One of the nurses was telling me how they sometimes had problems particularly with the Downs clients who had trouble dealing with their sexual urges.like one girl was found in the toilet with the brush bristle end up!

Idon't know but maybe Downs girls need a little more protection form their own urges than do others with learning difficulties.