Breeding Genetic Disorders?

[Greenday]

And then abort? Some people don't believe in abortion, or they'd be too attached to the fetus to want it killed. Far better not to have the child in the first place.

Well, with in vitro, everything is done outside the body. They use the male's sperm to fertilize the female's eggs, and then they test them for whatever disease you are a carrier for. If the fertilized egg doesn't have the disease, it is then implanted. This way you don't get pregnant with a diseased fetus and abortion doesn't become an issue.

[IDrinkaRum]

13-year-old girl looks 50 due to genetic disorder/disease

Zara Hartshorn, is 13 years old, looks 50, has to buy an adult bus ticket because bus drivers don't believe she's a teen and kids at her school taunt her and call her "Grandma".

Zara's mother and at least 2 of her other siblings have the disease.

Only Zara has the disorder the worst, becoming noticeable while still a newborn.

[Arcade Man D]

At which point, your child will be saddled with the full cost of their own medical care, unless you want to continue to contribute. No insurance company, government aid program, etc. will ever be responsible for paying for any medical care for the genetic defects you knowingly pass on. Essentially, you break it, you bought it.

To me, that's pretty fair.

No. It's not fair at all.

Children should never be punished for "the sins of the father".

[fireheart17]

It is not common practice in Canada or the US to routinely perform amniocenteses on mothers under the age of 35. However low the risks are from the procedure, they are still greater than the odds of actually diagnosing a problem.

Here I think it's 37 unless there's a risk of a high birth defect. I'm not 100% sure if I'll need one or the other by the time I'm pregnant (I don't plan to be for a while) since my boyfriend's sister has neurofibromatosis. (genetically passed on IIRC)

And then abort? Some people don't believe in abortion, or they'd be too attached to the fetus to want it killed. Far better not to have the child in the first place.

Or some people are pressured not to abort.

[blas87]

I'm pro-choice, but I don't think I could ever go through with an abortion.

If I were able to find out soon enough that my child was going to be mentally disabled or had some kind of disease, I'd put it up for adoption.

[linguist]

i, like others, applaud you for knowing your limitations, but the unfortunate reality is that such a child would likely spend its entire life (until adulthood, in any case) in the foster care system, as most people seeking to adopt aren't willing to take on a child with health difficulties.

[Greenday]

i, like others, applaud you for knowing your limitations, but the unfortunate reality is that such a child would likely spend its entire life (until adulthood, in any case) in the foster care system, as most people seeking to adopt aren't willing to take on a child with health difficulties.

It's tough enough for healthy kids to get adopted.

[Aethian]

Granted, my case isn't one of genetics, but it still has to do with odds. At the time that I was born at 26 weeks, survivability was pretty low. The doctors said that even if I did live I'd be severely brain-damaged and require constant care. My parents were well aware of what might happen, but decided to do everything they could (I was a guinea pig for most preemie treatments).

Yay I'm not alone in the world with being a guinea pig.



I think it should be up to the parents. They fought to conceive (although yes I know people that don't seem to have any trouble), fought to keep, and should have the choice if their will be a fight to live.

With some diseases and conditions, the severity won't be known until after the child is born and is developing outside of the womb.

[Plaidman]

I felt that I had to respond to this, being as a friend told me recently I should adopt and never have kids of my own.



Yeah, it's selfish of me to want to have kids of my own that may or may not have what I have. But you know what? Even the healthest parents in the world, with perfect parents of themselves, perfect grandparents etc etc, entire lines of families that never had a single imperfection in their time, can still have some child with some disability, however minor.

What point do you cut parents of from having kids? Oh you have a lazy eye no kids for you, ever, time to get the sterlizition kit.

Oh, you drool sometimes. Ok. Let's get the acid in the womb.


My parents were perfect. My disease was a gentic mutation. I'm the only one that suffers from it in the family, and until I was 22, I felt I was the only one in the entire country that had it. I've been made fun of it. I've been harmed because of it. Does that make me a horrible person? If anything, It makes me better equpt to help my children if they do get it.


Yeah, there is adoption. They do need love too. I understand that. But adoption with kids, they aren't a part of you. You will love them, you will cherish them, you will raise them, but in the end they still are not part of you. Your entire lifeline of your past is dead if you don't have kids of your own.

I want kids. I do. But according to a good chunk of people, I shouldn't have them because I have some disease.

I honestly thought this was a caring board, but hey, another reason to make me feel like a lesser being for having something I had no choice, or my parents never knew I had or would have.

NOT all diseases, or defects are shown at birth or before birth. Some are shown years later. What then? Huh?

I can adopt, and likely will try.

Don't feel bad, or even defend what sick views you have. I won't ever have kids anyway, as that does require a partner to be willing to share a life with me, and that just impossible.

So yay adoptions!

Oh wait, hard to adopt as a single guy. Even more so with a single guy that suffers from major depression.

Yay future of no kids or nothing. What more reasons do I need to live again? No real point when my biggest dream I have since I was old enough to know was to have kids, but it isn't going to happen.

Even more so now that I know that in a mircale that I somehow do, I won't be greeted by cheers and yays from people here, but boos and threats of how dare I breed.

[Greenday]

Since I have no idea what disorder you have, it's not exactly an easy judgement. People could always go for genetic testing. Amniocentesis, etc.

[Plaidman]

Neurofibromatosis.


50 percent chance It can be past on.

I already know the answer you have in anycase. everyone I've talked to about it, with exception of McGoddess has been Don't Have Kids. You be a horrible person if you did.


So bite me. It's hard enough to know so many people think I can't have anything, not even kids.

Well, need a girlfriend in the first place.

I am a good person.

I said it. I am a fucking good person. I'd defend people to the death. I beliving in defending those too weak to do anything. I belive in not judging in people based on their apprence.

But to alot, that just isn't good enough. Don't have kids is people's opinions.

[Mishi]

@Plaidman: If you could have kids via in-vitro (putting aside the girlfriend issue and other issues related to in-vitro) then you would be able to test for neurofibromatosis wouldn't you? Personally, I'm not saying don't have kids, but if/when it happens get the genetic testing done so that they don't have to deal with all the shit that you have put up with.

Kind of on topic: I found out after I had kids that my disorder has 50% chance of being passed on to them and I felt so guilty because I'd always been told that it was a defect on a recessive gene. I'd assumed that there was around a 25% chance of them inheriting it which was something that my husband and I were willing to deal with, but now both our munchkins are exhibiting symptoms. 'Benign' Joint Hypermobility Syndrome isn't as bad as a lot of other things out there, but it's still pretty damn hard to live with. There is anecdotal evidence that with my munckins exhibiting symptoms this young, they may grow out of it. Again, on a personal note, if I were pregnant and the kid was going to have a terrible, painful and short life then I don't think I would be able to continue the pregnancy. Hopefully something that I'll never have to deal with.

Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus runs in my family, and as my mum reminds me everytime we disagree, she almost aborted me due to the doctors being unsure if I was affected. Do I think she should have reproduced (ignoring the fact that I wouldn't exist and neither would my munchkins)? No, I think that she probably shouldn't have, not because of the genetic risks but simply because of the sort of person that she is.

Regardless of all that, I believe in informed free choice, and would very angry if someone tried to take that from me. There are way too many shades of grey to definitively state exactly who should and shouldn't reproduce.

[fireheart17]

Neurofibromatosis.

My boyfriend's sister has that as well, but it's more severe than some of the photos I've seen. (it was NF month down here in ausland, with a couple of people who have NF showing it off-one guy had tumours ALL over his face)
She has learning difficulties, speech problems, some difficulties with walking and also takes antidepressant medication.

For my boyfriend, we're not if he'll pass it on, but we're going to get tested for that as well as CF and even though it can't be tested, I'm going to ask about the possibility of passing on the predisposition to depression (I have dysthymia-milder but chronic compared to major depression) since we both have family histories. (his mum said that it was more common with females on her side, in my case it's regardless of sex)

[Greenday]

@Plaidman: If you could have kids via in-vitro (putting aside the girlfriend issue and other issues related to in-vitro) then you would be able to test for neurofibromatosis wouldn't you? Personally, I'm not saying don't have kids, but if/when it happens get the genetic testing done so that they don't have to deal with all the shit that you have put up with.

This is usually my opinion. You can still have kids and can still make sure that the specific gene doesn't get passed on. And you can still have fun in the mean time.

[Kimmik]

Plaidman-- If you are willing to care for a child that you help conceive, I dont see why you should give up your dream.

I am sorry but hell I wasn't suppose to have my daughter. They didn't tell me that... see.. with my son.. he was born early.. barely 6mo gestation.. it was an incompetent cervix along with an infected placenta... I opted to have the hospital do what they could for him... cause he came out kicking and a swinging... and the first thing he did was pee on the Doc... proud of my son.. People told me he would be retarded... that things might not be "normal"

The only reason that I took my son off life support was he developed a extremely rare bleed in the cerebellum... UofM is a top notch Neonatal hospital... and they were like ok this is uber rare... we could try xy and z but it would most likely just kill him... so we let him go.. Do I regret fighting for him... not one damn bit... I did everything to stave off having him... but he decided that at the day i was 6mo into my pregnancy he was coming into this world..

4 months after his entrance to this world his sister was conceived... the month that he would have been due... technically I was told that it would be better to abort because my body hadnt healed and the chances of something going terribly wrong was high.. yeah I told the docs to blow big green donkey dick... My daughter will be 6mo this month... and so far... it seems that my genetic defect with my immune system hasn't touched her... shit we all had that hell flu/stomach bug thing of death... and her... not even a sniffle..

It may be selfish of me but you know what... I will try one more time to have one more child.. then I will get the over shut down.. but be it that the child is perfect or has to have me care for them all my life... and make sure that they have care after I am gone... I believe every damn child/person is born for a reason.

And when it comes down to it in the end... who are we to play god.. and chose who is worthy and who isn't... there is a reason that forced sterilization in modern free countries is looked on with horror. And that is what it boils down to.. when you say someone should or shouldnt have children because of a condition... that choice for good or bad is between that person and their beliefs.

*hugs Plaidman* The world needs more tender hearts like you.