Fresh Hopes and Concerns As Fetal DNA Tests Advance
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 26, 2008; Page A01
Doctors have started using powerful new DNA tests to screen fetuses for a wider range of genetic abnormalities, spotting more problem pregnancies early but stirring fears that the results will increase abortions as well as confuse and needlessly alarm many couples.
Sometimes I wonder how you can extract DNA from a fetus, test it for genetic abnormalities, and not recognize it as human.
According to the article, Arthur L. Beaudet is the chair of Baylor's Department of Molecular and Human Genetics. The article quotes him:
"Some of these disorders are quite burdensome. They require lifelong nursing care. In some cases these children never walk, never talk, never feed themselves," Beaudet said. "It can have a major impact on the family. People say, 'I wish you had given me the opportunity to know ahead of time. It's really destroyed our lives.' That's why women want to know."
This is really not cool.
I understand that love is difficult. I utterly fail at it all the time. But why must we be cowards? Why can't we step up, be courageous, and love people who are difficult to love?
Mary, I understand that a fetus is a human, and I completely agree with you, but how is it love to allow for a miserable life? If you know that your child will never understand, function, and/or be in constant pain as well as being a burden on the family, I would have to agree. If you look at it from a religious standpoint, the child would have a much better life in heaven, and i suppose the parents would be guilty of murder. I don't think that way there is a right answer. I just know that I hate to see children in pain, and if there is any way to avoid it. Sometimes, not everything is black and white. There are hard decisions to be made that will never please everyone.
ReplyDeleteSo where do we draw the line? Who is so much of a burden that they should be eliminated? The child who will cause the parents heartache because of physical disability? mental disability? future possibility of breast cancer or alcoholism? inability to delay gratification? tendency toward mental illness? tendency toward drug abuse? All of these kids cause pain to themselves and to their parents. All of these genetic tendencies will eventually be located on the human chromosome.
ReplyDeleteIf we allow ourselves to eliminate children because they will be a burden to themselves or to their parents, where do we draw the line? What burden is too much to bear? How perfect must our children be in order for us to love them? How perfect must we be in order for God to love us?