PGD vs Genocide?

I don't even have words to explain how angry and upset I am right now.  There was a programme aired last night about Down's Syndrome and the genetic testing available in an attempt to eradicate it.  I didn't watch it so I have no idea what it covered or how sensitively it was (or wasn't) dealt with.  I do know it has caused a relatively large amount of uproar with people commenting on how those with Down's syndrome have many excellent qualities and bring a lot of joy to a lot of people.  This is not my issue - I don't take issue with the programme or people's opinions of it.

However, one of my friends (she has a variant of spina bifida) made a comment on Facebook that she was hurt by some of the ideals in the programme as she's disabled and feels that just because she's different, that's not always a bad thing.  I quite agree with this and she's a damn inspirational lady although I'm guessing given the choice she wouldn't be disabled.  She didn't like the idea that someone could have made the choice not to have her just because she was disabled and again, I get that as it's a very personal issue.

I weighed in on the subject saying that it's a case by case basis, explaining that we will use PGD to have children but that this to protect our children from a terminal condition.  She was understanding about that and we had a nice chat about disability.  Then another woman decided to weigh in (the mother of one of my friends) with this comment:

"THIS IS WHAT HITLER WAS DOING BY GASSING ANYBODY THAT WAS DEEMED TO BE DIFFERENT OR NOT PERFECT."

I have not responded to this comment, nor will I, but there are a few things that I need to get off my chest:

1.  We are NOT doing PGD because we want our child to be perfect.  We want to protect it from a singular, terminal disease that it is at specific risk of.

2.  I would never terminate a child because it had a condition like Downs Syndrome or anything that could leave it living a relatively normal life.  Hell, I don't think I could terminate a child full stop.

3.  I was not suggesting that we cull people with disabilities, just that trying to prevent them in the first place (for the sake of the children and future generations).

4.  I don't agree with gender selection (unless it's related to a condition specific to one gender).

4.  How insensitive do you have to be to describe someone who you don't really know, but who is going so far out of their way to give their child the best possible start in life, as Hitler.

Initially I laughed at the comment, then I got angry and then I sobbed.  I really thought that this was the one decision I'd made in life that was nothing but good (aside from maybe on a religious basis) and that people would be proud of me rather than judging me.  Instead, today I was compared to one of the worst human beings to have ever existed.

Yay me.