Meet Lucy Baxter and her 21 year old son Otto who has Downs Syndrome. Lucy wants her son to have a fully rounded life and enjoy the experience of having a partner and finding love. And sex. But Otto hasn’t managed to find someone to sleep with so his mother has made a rather unusual public So she is appealing for women to come forward so Otto can ‘enjoy the same experiences as other men his age’.
She’s even said she’ll pay for a prostitute.
According to a newspaper report:
Miss Baxter, 50, also hopes he may one day become a father – despite the controversy this may attract.
‘Society has a learning disability when it comes to Down’s syndrome,’ she said.
‘Why should these people be kept separate and pigeon-holed when
they have the same emotions, desires and feelings as so-called normal
people?
‘If he doesn’t get a girlfriend, I will feel really bad,
because I have sold him this thing that he is like everybody else.
That’s why I’m working overtime to get this sorted for him.’
Miss Baxter from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, works for the mental
health charity Mencap and campaigns for the rights of those with Down’s
syndrome.
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Top Comments
This is a somewhat irrelavent, however, In the newspaper article, is there a reason that two of her other sons' ages are listed with numbers (27, 14) but one was written, (seven)? Is there a reason, is it common practice or am just a little OTT?
The correct use of the written language dictacts that numbers over ten are in numerical form eg 27, while numbers under 10 are written in full eg five.
A little off topic but I hope this helps!
Has anyone read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter"? This book really showed me how hard some parents have to fight for their disabled children's rights. Remember that this woman has been caring for him - and her other three - since they were kids. She has seen first hand the kind of discrimination they have to face. And she has spent decades doing something about it. I'm sure she didn't take this decision lightly.
I love the fact that she is willing to do whatever it takes to help her son. And to assume that he doesn't want a partner? The article said that he persuaded her, not the other way around. Read the whole article, and he talks about how he wants sex.
The issue is a little more urgent than it is for others - those with Down Syndrome have a reduced life span, so by those standards, unfortunately, he is already middle aged. And her dreams of being a grandmother? Also highly unlikely. They have so much to deal with already, why look down on their quest to make the most of life while they can? I know it's a little unusual for Mum to be getting so involved, but if he's ok with it, why can't we accept it too?
I've read that book - I had to do a book/film comparison analysis thing so I chose Memory Keepers Daughter and linked it with the movie, The Black Balloon. Different families, how they dealt with disabilities etc. Anywayyy...I agree, that book really opened my eyes!