A Tragic Tale of Down's Syndrome

In one among hundreds of daily tragedies that occur in Iraq, one particular act of violence left an indelible mark of shock and disbelief among people in that war-torn country and the rest of the world.
On a busy day in central al-Ghazi, a woman wearing the traditional black Muslim garb walked into a bustling crowd of men, women, and children. People in the market were going about their usual day --- some were shopping for food; others were working their trade; a number were on their way to school and the office. Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard.
When the smoke cleared, 46 people lay dead and more than a hundred were wounded. Investigators later established that the woman in the black garb was responsible for the terrorist attack. Police theorized that beneath the woman's long, modest clothing was a string of wires attached to a bomb that was strapped across her fragile body.
Not too long after, a second attack rocked war-torn Baghdad. Another woman went to a bird market in a predominantly Shiite area in south-eastern part of the city and, like the first woman-bomber, detonated herself leaving 27 people dead and 70 others wounded.
What was tragic about the two attacks is that, unlike in the past, terrorist groups were now determined to use women as suicide bombers. Another almost unbelievable fact that surrounded the attacks is that both the female bombers were later found to have had Down's Syndrome. Somehow, the terrorists exploited the mental disabilities of those two women and re-programmed them into human weapons. Being mentally handicapped, both women were subjected to some form of brainwashing. Instead of receiving professional health care, those two women were used to kill many innocent civilians in a war that, so it seems, still has no end in sight.
How were these women exploited and used as suicide bombers? Perhaps the clue lies in understanding the medical condition that both women had prior to their unwitting conversion into walking time bombs.
Down's Syndrome or DS is a genetic disorder that causes mental retardation and other physical and mental problems. DS is the most common genetic cause of severe learning disabilities in children. The condition occurs in one out of every 700 infants. There are as many as 6,000 babies that are born with DS in the United States each year. The condition is named after the doctor who first identified the syndrome, John Langdon Down.
Normally, at the time of conception a baby inherits genetic information from the parents in the form of 46 chromosomes: 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. In most cases of DS, however, a child gets an extra chromosome - for a total of 47 chromosomes instead of 46. It's this extra genetic material that causes the physical and cognitive delays associated with DS. Although no one knows for sure why DS occurs and there's no way to prevent the chromosomal error that causes it, scientists do know that women age 35 and older have a significantly higher risk of having a child with the condition. At age 30, for example, a woman has less than a 1 in 1,000 chance of conceiving a child with DS. Those odds increase to 1 in 400 by age 35. By 42, it jumps to about 1 in 60.
Screening for DS is offered as a routine part of prenatal care. A mother's age has traditionally been a factor in the decision to screen for DS. But now, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends offering various screening tests for DS to all pregnant women, regardless of age. A health care provider can help weigh the pros and cons of these tests for every mother's individual situation.
Children with DS have a distinct facial appearance, though not all have the same features. The women suicide bombers as reported were found to have round face and high forehead which is commonly associated with DS.
Though DS can't be prevented, it can be detected before a child is born. The health problems that can go along with DS can be treated, and there are many resources within communities to help kids and their families who are living with the condition.
There's still no medical cure for this condition. But hopefully, increased understanding of DS and early interventions make a big difference in the lives of both children and adults around the world especially in under developed countries.
Instead of helping the two women to get medical help for their condition, the terrorists used the two mentally handicapped women who obviously appeared not to pose any threat to people around them. Being women, they could get close to targets with less chance of being stopped or searched.In Islamic culture, it is also taboo to touch women, a fact that would have prevented even the most security-conscious police officer in Baghdad from searching those two women in a checkpoint.
Moreover, being mentally impaired with DS, these women were also less likely to make a rational judgment about what they are being asked to do by their terrorist handlers. In Iraq, it is disheartening to find out that people with DS could not stay home with their familes or study in special schools much in the same way it is done in the United States. There is no reason for anyone or any group to exploit and ruin the lives of innocent civilians especially if they are mentally handicapped like those two women. Those suicide bombers most likely didn't know what they were doing and were just as innocent as those who lost their lives in the twin attacks. Those two incidents somehow makes one question whether the terrorists were also in their right minds when they planned and executed the attacks. Indeed, aside from the senseless violence of that war, the greater tragedy is the moral and ethical handicap that afflicts the terrorists and prevents them from respecting humanity. And in the wake of their brutal acts lie a string of corpses and lives wasted.

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Cecill Artates is a women's health advocate and currently writes health-related articles for a women's health magazine. She is also active in promoting sports and health among women and the youth in disadvantaged communities.If you find this article very informative, you can read more articles at articles.drugstoretm.com/”>Articles of Drugstoretm

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