The new ethical controversy?

[DucksNuts]

I watched friend of the family go through some awful times with their handicapped daughter.

She is 40 something now, with the mind of a 5 year old and some of the things she does to her elderly parents is horrific.

They were nearly 40 when they had her, she beats them up regularly and they have a hell of a time discipling her.

I have a close girlfriend who has a young child with down syndrome and he is the most gorgeous little boy....everyone just loves him completely.

They are members of a small community and we will go to school with kids that have known him since he was born and cherish him for the beautiful little boy he is....would this be different in a huge school? I dont know.

I believe it is the right of the parents to have all the tests they can afford.

A lot of doctors will recommend the tests to mothers who's worrying is getting out of control and not beneficial to a healthy pregnancy.

It can also be seriously traumatic to have something like this thrust upon you at birth, rather than having months to come to terms with it.

I would prefer pregnant couples have all the information at hand and be able to make informed decisions that is best for them, whether that be to terminate or mentally prepare themselves for the journey they will be embarking.

[Lady Sidhe]

Originally Posted by DucksNuts

[snip]

I believe it is the right of the parents to have all the tests they can afford.

[snip]

It can also be seriously traumatic to have something like this thrust upon you at birth, rather than having months to come to terms with it.

I would prefer pregnant couples have all the information at hand and be able to make informed decisions that is best for them, whether that be to terminate or mentally prepare themselves for the journey they will be embarking.

I agree with this. In some cases, genetic screening can change a child's life. A friend of mine found out that he and his wife were having a child with spina bifida. Because it was caught early, they were able to correct it in utero. Then there are children who are, say, hydroencephalatic. They're going to die, usually soon after birth. I wouldn't want my child to have a few hours of misery just to satisfy someone else's idea of morality.

Some people can deal with extreme birth defects. Some can't, for whatever reason: emotional, financial, whatever. Personally I don't like the use of abortion as birth control; I think adoption is a better choice. But I think that couples should have all the information they can get, for exactly the above reason: so that they can mentally prepare themselves to deal with it, or decide whether or not to choose another option.