| When I
look at your mouth and lips such memories come to me Of infant suckling, spoons and drips And speech therapy |
| Your
mouth that smiles and kisses too (For you show great affection) Your lovely face comes into view You have a fine complexion |
| So I
would never change your face Some people think we should they try to justify the case That surgery is good |
| The
prejudice these people show These bigots of 'pure race' Who ignorant, who nothing know Is hateful, cruel and base |
| It's
not a crime, it's not a sin It's nothing you have done To have that extra chromosome That number 21 |
| By
trying to make your tongue be small And alter shape of eyes They do not change your thoughts at all Or alter height or size |
| Instead it says "You're second class, Inferior, rejected, Deformed, subnormal, cannot pass Disfigured and defected" |
| I say in an emphatic tone Down Syndrome's part of you I love you as yourself alone Your face I won't redo |
| But most of all it is your life I know it would cause pain The scalpel blade and surgeons knife Would bring distress and pain |
| You would feel fear, it would be cruel No benefit ensue Without improvement or renewal No gain or help to you |
| So I will never change your face No surgery, no scar Your beauty, humour and your grace Just stay the way you are. |
| Catherine Slater and her daughter Karen appeared on television, arguing against cosmetic surgery for people with Down Syndrome. |
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