Inherited Disabilities and Having Babies
 

interesting article from the BBC. What a hard decision to make. I think I'd go the IVF screening route.

Should my hereditary disability stop me having a baby?

Surely a disability is a bad thing ...otherwise isn't it just a difference?

If the future is as the 'Paul Ryan' Tea Partiers want it to be, then the last thing I would want to do is bring something into the world that couldn't fend for itself.

Isn't that Eugenics?

But what if there's only a chance it couldn't fend for itself?

Im just saying, as in without the social support of a caring community. If you take away the safety net that the current cast of republicans want to get rid of, then bringing someone into the world who would suffer as a result, is heartless, IMO. If you are rich, then go right ahead.

Im sorry, I didn't actually read the article yet, so Im not sure on which level of disability you are talking about. Prolly should go right now and do that.

I don't have a disability (other than severe myopia), but I still made the decision not to have children late in life even though it was my best opportunity to do so (I married for the first time at 40), because I was too fearful of the possibility of giving birth to a down syndrome baby.

(We have two in my family)

I took the time to read the BBC article. I can see where these guys have a problem. Yet, as disabilites go, this guy can still operate in society. He is not confined to a wheelchair or a bed.

I am male, 42 and have never married. As far as I know, there's no genetic disorder in my family. Therefore, I can only speak as a hypothetic parent.

Nonetheless, should a disability be detected in utero for one of my future children, I'll take the advice of doctors very seriously.

Not because of the society but for the child. I'm now in good health but in the natural order of things I should die before my children. In the case of an extreme disability, who will take care of that child when I became unable to do it? Will there be suffering?

It is very possible that a lot of people won't agree with me, but, yes, I would consider abortion. Of course, that decision, one way or another, would be reached after discussion with my wife and the doctors.

And that's not eugenics. This is a choice, a difficult one either way, but a choice. Eugenics is enforced, so that's not choice.

Also, please remember that I'm French and that our views on abortion are different from the US point of view.

I would say that you have to seriously consider and plan for the worse case and make sure that you are up for that if it does not turn out well. Parents of disabled and even very premature children have higher rates of marital discord and divorce. The cost to support a child with a disability may be beyond the ability of the family to pay. Just some things to consider.

Plus, it makes it harder to govern Alaska.

:lol: I think she had an anoxic birth injury....

That's some funny posting, right there.

It would depend on the severity of the disability for me, this man can function in normal society without tons of help or support, if all that went away, he would probably be OK. A person with down syndrome though? Not so much. I would not want to knowingly bring a person into this world that would grow up not being able to fend for themselves. I already plan on adopting though, and I won't choose a mate who is of a different mind.

These are all the "What ifs" that make me never want to have children. And thank God it will never happen.

Because of our ages and suspicion of other possible chromosonal disorders in my family, we went through a screening process for those types of disorders when we concieved Max. We had already decided to do so when we first decided to have a baby. We also had all the early term scans available.

We had not decided to terminate if there were problems, but taking into account our ages and possible life span of a disabled child (which would obviously depend on the disability) termination was certainly an option for us.

To inform you, my mother gave birth to a severly disabled son. He died when he was five. Her sister gave birth to a similarly but less severe disabled son who is still alive at 35 years of age, but his father recently died, and now my aunt is left to care for him alone.

The doctors have suspected one of two disorders. Either Chromoson X or Noonans disorder. Both are genetic and affect male children with the mother being the carrier.

Having children was a big decision for me. I've been lucky with three healthy children.

Have you checked or can you check to see if any of your children carry the recessive gene?