I angered a co-worker the other night with my opinion on people with severe genetic health problems having babies. I'm curious to see what you all think.
My belief...
Being a parent begins before conception. If you have something horrible that can be passed to your children, it's unfair to have a child just hoping for the best to satisfy your desire to carry a fetus. There are options to become a parent that does not involve passing on conditions that make a childs life even harder in hard world.
I'm not talking about small things.. but rather large issues. Like the mother who had 5 or 6 children, all born with a heart defect which killed all but 1 before they were 6 months old in hopes that she could have a bigger natural family.
The topic came up because a friend of mine who is a wonderful person is trying really hard to concieve. She is obese. 500+ pounds before the bypass surgery as is everyone in her family. She is married to a man who is learning disabled and who would still have to live with his parents if it were not for her because he could not make it on his own. I would not want her to have a child who would have to live through what she has. She is beautiful.. and no one ever saw it because they looked at her size and not her heart. Compiled with a learning disability... what kind of life would that child have?
My belief...
Being a parent begins before conception. If you have something horrible that can be passed to your children, it's unfair to have a child just hoping for the best to satisfy your desire to carry a fetus. There are options to become a parent that does not involve passing on conditions that make a childs life even harder in hard world.
I'm not talking about small things.. but rather large issues. Like the mother who had 5 or 6 children, all born with a heart defect which killed all but 1 before they were 6 months old in hopes that she could have a bigger natural family.
The topic came up because a friend of mine who is a wonderful person is trying really hard to concieve. She is obese. 500+ pounds before the bypass surgery as is everyone in her family. She is married to a man who is learning disabled and who would still have to live with his parents if it were not for her because he could not make it on his own. I would not want her to have a child who would have to live through what she has. She is beautiful.. and no one ever saw it because they looked at her size and not her heart. Compiled with a learning disability... what kind of life would that child have?