Why Cosmetic Surgery is not an Answer to Down Syndrome

Introduction

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the mind and causes physical disability. It is caused by irregular division of cells which causes formation of a full or extra chromosome. A normal person should have a 21 pairs of chromosomes but, Down syndrome people have extra chromosomes (Suzedelis, 2006). The extra chromosome s alters the genetic composition of a person and this affects the normal growth. Notable physical features of a Down syndrome person include; small stature, cat-like cry, a flat forehead, flat nasal ridge and a singular crease across the palm (Ndss. 2014).

As stated earlier, the down-syndrome alters the physical attributes of a person especially it makes a person to have a funny face. There has a growing debate on whether parents of children’s with down syndrome subject their children to have cosmetic surgery to make them look more appealing. Advocates of the surgery exercise argue that the surgery is necessary to help the children become more conventional and minimize bullying from their peers. It raises the self-esteem of the affected people since other people start viewing them as normal people. Critics of the cosmetic surgery believe conducting the surgery will bring ethical concerns to the affected people.

It is the wish of all parents to deliver perfect and healthy children who do not have any birth defects. Unfortunately, some parents are not lucky because they deliver children with disorders such as Down syndrome. The frustration of having a kid with physical disabilities makes them to look for alternative ways that will rectify the defect. The parents want to shield their children from societal stigma especially from their peers. Moreover, they believe when the children grows up, they will have esteem problems. However, parents should realize that having Down syndrome children is not a curse but a normal thing.

This paper wants to take a stand on the controversial issue and explain why parents should not take their Down syndrome children to have cosmetic surgery. Using insights from past researches the paper will provide negative factors that will make parents consider their stands on having corrective surgeries for their children.

Parents should realize that the decision to have a corrective surgery should be a consultative move that involved many stakeholders. For instance, they should seek expert opinion from health experts, other parents who have done the surgery, affected children and even relevant governmental agencies. More importantly, they should seek the opinion of the Down syndrome child because he/she is directly affected by the surgery. Therefore, they should not hurriedly make the move of doing the surgery without waiting to hear the opinion of the child. It is thus advisable for parent to wait till they are old enough to make decisions and then seek their stands before going ahead with the surgery. Moreover, they can learn from other parents who have done the surgery to their children. If they realize that the positive effects of the surgery outweigh the negative effects then they can proceed with the surgery. However, if they realize the surgery has brought more complications then they should abandon it. This means that parents should not completely abandon the decision to have the surgery but, rather take time.

As many studies have indicated, not all corrective surgeries are successful (Ndss. 2014). There are some surgeries that may cause health complications to their victims. For instance, instead of correcting the facial defects, the surgery may worsen the facial appearance of the victims. Besides that, the success of the surgery depends on the infrastructural capacity of the health care institution as well as technical expertise of the surgeons. Therefore, if the parents choose an incompetent surgeon or an inadequately equipped health-care facility then there is a high chance the surgery will not go well and may bring other health complications. If the surgery brings more complications the parents will live with guilt and this may relations issues with the child. Specifically, the child may develop hatred to the parents.

As mentioned earlier, the main goal of having a surgery is to help the child integrate well into the society. Specifically, it seeks to protect the child from discrimination and bullying from peers. However, studies have shown that people nowadays have changed the perception of Down syndrome people. Unlike in the past, the current society tolerates the Down syndrome people and they are given equal respect as other people (NHS.2014).Moreover, children are sensitized to treat other Down syndrome children with respect and show love. Therefore, parents should not worry about their children’s discrimination because the society is tolerant to their disorder. People nowadays treat the disorder as any other disability. In fact, many jurisdictions have put enough mechanisms that seek to protect the rights of the disability people in the society.

A facial reconstruction surgery is normally costly and requires parents to heavily invest financial resources. Many reputable hospitals and surgeons require parents to deposit huge sums of money before the surgery takes place. For those parents who are low income earners, paying for this surgery is next to impossible. If they proceed with paying for the surgery, the economic livelihood of the family may be affected. It is thus advisable to abandon the surgery move if the move will affect the living standards of the family. Instead, families can channel the funds in other demanding ventures that will improve the overall welfare of the family.

As indicated earlier, some physical attributes of a Down syndrome child are unique and dominant. Therefore, even if a surgery is done some features will still be portrayed. For instance, Down syndrome people have clubbed fingers and usually produce a funny voice when they cry (NHS.2014). For people who understand how the disorder works, the surgery will still not change their views on the Down syndrome child.

As shown earlier, Down syndrome is a genetic disorder. This means that even if a parent decides to perform the surgery the offspring of the victim may still have the disorder. Therefore, they should not opt for the surgery since they cannot be always performing the surgery to all affected family members.

The paper has clearly justified why parents should not consider performing surgeries for their children. This is because performing the surgery has many adverse effects. For instance, the surgery can lead to development of other health complications especially if it is performed by incompetent personnel. Secondly, the surgery is costly and may affect the financial resources of a family. The surgery may not heal the facial features caused by the disorder. Therefore, parent should always consider many factors and involve other people especially the victim before they can make the final decision to perform the surgery.