Wife:Give Up Newborn/down Syndrone Or Get Divorced

Dad Refuses to Give Up Newborn Son With Down Syndrome



When Samuel Forrest of Armenia heard a baby crying from outside his wife's hospital room, he knew his life would change forever.

Not only had he become a father, but he would soon receive some unexpected news about his newborn son.

"This pediatrician walks out of the room with a little bundle -- that was Leo," Forrest said. "She had his face covered up and hospital authorities wouldn't let me see him or my wife. When the doctor came out, he said 'there’s a real problem with your son.'

Forrest followed doctors and nurses into a room where he'd finally get to meet his baby.

"When I walked into the room they all turned to me and said 'Leo has Down syndrome," he told ABC News. "I had a few moments of shock."

After the news had sunk in, Forrest held Leo for the very first time.



"They took me in see him and I looked at this guy and I said, he's beautiful -- he's perfect and I'm absolutely keeping him."

Soon Forrest walked into his wife's hospital room with Leo in his arms.

Her reaction was unlike one he ever expected.

"I got the ultimatum right then," he said. "She told me if I kept him then we would get a divorce."

Attempts to reach the hospital for comment weren't immediately successful. The baby's mother, Ruzan Badalyan, told ABC News that she did have a child with Down syndrome and she has left her husband, who has the child, but she declined to elaborate.

Forrest, who's from Auckland, New Zealand, said he was completely unaware of the hospital practices in Armenia when it came to children.

"What happens when a baby like this is born here, they will tell you that you don’t have to keep them," he said. "My wife had already decided, so all of this was done behind my back."



Despite his wife's warnings, Forrest said he never had a doubt in his mind that he would hold onto his son.

One week after his birth, Leo's mom filed for divorce.

"It's not what I want," Forrest said. "I didn’t even have a chance to speak with her in privately about it."

Forrest, who works as a freelance business contractor, has plans for he and Leo to move to his native country of New Zealand where he said they'll receive support from loved ones.

In the meantime, he's enlisted for some help on his GoFundMe page titled "Bring Leo Home."

"This really came out of the blue for me," he said. "I don’t have a lot, I have very little in fact. The goal is to raise enough for a year so I can get a part-time job so Leo doesn't have to be in daycare and I can help care for him. He's lost a lot in two weeks. It'd be different if he had his mommy."

Forrest has recently been working with disability awareness groups to share his story in the hopes that parents will become better educated on children with special needs.

"After what I've been through with Leo, I'm not going to sit back and watch babies be sent to orphanages," he said. "As a child with Down syndrome, that becomes somewhat of a label. If we can get around this label, we’ll see that they’re normal. They’re a little different from us, but they’re still normal.

"They all have niches and I want to work hard to find out where Leo's special. This little guy is great."

Source

If we can get around this label, we’ll see that they’re normal. They’re a little different from us, but they’re still normal.

Why would they have chosen to abort? Clearly this man wanted the child, regardless of his condition.

"Welp, he's got the Down's. I guess we can't love him."

Why would they have chosen to abort? Clearly this man wanted the child, regardless of his condition.

"Welp, he's got the Down's. I guess we can't love him."

Seriously, a man goes out of his way to care for and love a child with a mental problem, and all you guys can talk about are his definition of normal and how they should have aborted it? You people are sick. Also, give the man a medal.

Seriously, a man goes out of his way to care for and love a child with a mental problem, and all you guys can talk about are his definition of normal and how they should have aborted it? You people are sick. Also, give the man a medal.

Not saying I agree or disagree, and honestly I don't know what I'd do or have done if I was in that situation.

I might be sick, my balls are itchy.

May want to go get that checked out.

Things like that should be discussed well in advance to even living together.

Caring for a special needs child, or any child, irrevocably changes your life forever. But a special needs child, 10x more so. Now, I don't think there's alot to say about personal choice in this, about abortion really people's stance is based entirely on the point they believe life begins and not any differing morality on killing babies. Personally, if modern science would let me know that my child would have serious medical issues and it was early enough term and I had the choice to abort I would. If my wife disagreed I'd wonder how I let myself get into this mess. Key here is I wouldn't. Things like that should be discussed well in advance to even living together. The thing is stressful situations can change people's minds. And alot of people can't afford the tests. But then if you can't afford the tests how you gonna afford a kid which is estimated to take 2 million to raise to maturity? People are just dumb in that regard. Unprepared parents make for alot of adults that are bad for society as a whole. While I don't think we should go as far as requiring a certification to be a parent because that would never solve anything, sometimes I really wish something that simple was an adequate answer to such complicated problems.

there are subsidies that can be applied for

How can a doctor appear and say: "there is a real problem with your son"?

Wrong, the problem isnt the kid, the problem are the others, that cant see how life is such an unique thing that must be preserved, as well anyone that see a child and feel anything but love.

How can a doctor appear and say: "there is a real problem with your son"?

Wrong, the problem isnt the kid, the problem are the others, that cant see how life is such an unique thing that must be preserved, as well anyone that see a child and feel anything but love.

Yes government assistance is strictly for the rich via tax cuts and subsidies. Get off our money you filthy poor.

WELFARE QUEEN. STOP ADVOCATING YOUR WELFARE LIFESTYLE.


*sigh*

I feel dirty having said that, even as a joke.

FYI, if you're of the opinion that disability and welfare are awful and should be gutted, I hope you're ready to put a lot of people with Downs and comprable intellectual disabilities, and their accompanying utter lack of adaptive functioning, on the street with no way to fend for themselves.

Since it's only the minority of people who abuse the system, it actually has long term pay-offs for the general public, and for the individual families that require the assistance.