This is 'Portrait of a Young Woman' by Frans Hals, c1660. We were first introduced when I was 17 and it was noted that I looked a ~bit~ like her. I went to see her again this weekend and SKIPPED around the gallery at how silly it is to be an oil painting. I knew there was a reason I love a big frilly collar !!!…
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Termination of my pregnancy was offered to me so many times I lost count. My unborn child had a 98% chance for Down Syndrome.
The specialists listed her markers clinically; thick neck, short limbs and heart complications. Constant reminders that these pregnancies terminate themselves often and without warning.
Not once did they connect me with families raising children with Down syndrome. Not once did they mention joy.
Three years later I’m still stunned by the contrast of their grim predictions…