[Koopsta]

With the advancement of genetic research it may to detect candidates that are more likely to birth a child with a "defect". WIth this knowledge though we're bound to experience a movement to ban these people from having children tht we know will "burdent the system". Thoughts?

[BEARsaysPLAY]

How can we justify restricting people on what "might" happen?

It sounds like how insurance companies work. They base whether or not you can drive a car well on everyone who has driven before you. It's another form of discrimination in my opinion.

As a matter of fact, I'm against pre-natal testing as well. When my ex-wife was pregnant with one of our daughters, at 5 months an ultra-sound showed her to have spina-bifida. After several tests and expert opinions, we were forced to go through the remaining 4 months of the pregnancy certain in the knowledge that if our daughter survived birth, she would only live 2 or 3 days max because of where the defect was located (according to the experts).

I'm happy to announce that our daughter is a happy, healthy 8 year old who, other than the need for a wheelchair, is a normal little girl who loves life.

The experts were wrong. Even the pediatrician who took on the case questions the use of ultra-sounds and pre-natal testing except in cases where the mother appears at risk.

Had that diagnosis been made earlier in the pregnancy, we whould have surely terminated it and been robbed of everything she's brought into our lives.

Just my opinion.

[Twila]

It's a Pandora's box.

[BigChuck]

geez I misread and I'm definitly against ...Sorry bout that

[fatbasturd]

It's just another sympton of Mans God complex...we have fucked with the natural order to much already.
People live past when they should...we keep people alive when they shouldn't be..abortion is turning in to a form of birth controll(not in every case and I believe it is a good thing in certain circumstances)..and now they want to to cull the unborn....

[ThePolitician]

Genetic research in the context you place it is soley for the purpose of determining wether or not to carry a child to full term; a question which in it's whole is entirely wrong.

There is already a great example in this thread of a wonderful little girl that may have had her life extingiushed because of this.

The answer must be AGAINST.

[BartSimpson]

In countries where the health care is nationalized the control of the human genome will be inevitable as a means to control costs. Insurance companies in the USA mayt try to push it but a Republican Congress will not pass such a thing.

Tay Sachs, sickle cell, and etc. etc. are all preventable if the people susceptible to them are not born.

We're just talking about the genetic screening of fetuses, really.

The more difficult question of aborting them has already been decided by the liberals and they're all rabidly pro-abortion.

So all we're doing, really, is taking abortion and coupling it with genetic screening.

I find it abhorrent, but I fail to see why liberals are whining about this when the key component of the process, abortion, is something most of them virtually worship.

[Ripcat]

Why is it that some people who feel that people shouldn't be allow to be gay, even though gays are productive members of society, because they may become a burden on our healthcare system as they may be more likely to contract an STD than a straight person, are all set to allow the birth of a child that may need very expensive care 24 hrs a day for their entire life and never be a contributing member of society.

[bossdog]

Ripcat wrote:

Why is it that some people who feel that people shouldn't be allow to be gay, even though gays are productive members of society, because they may become a burden on our healthcare system as they may be more likely to contract an STD than a straight person, are all set to allow the birth of a child that may need very expensive care 24 hrs a day for their entire life and never be a contributing member of society.

Good cross-threading.

I'm against it personally. I studied a little genetic manipulation in college and at first I thought it was great until I read one book. I wish I could remember the title of it. But it goes towards the "God complex" that Fat mentioned. Today, we'll stop birth defects, healthe problems, etc. Tomorrow, we'll be pre-ordering our babies to create a society of blond-haired, blue eyed, "Stepford" style of society.

[PluggyRug]

Everyone who is against genetic engineering had better stop eating.

[-Mario-]

BigChuck wrote:

geez I misread and I'm definitly against ...Sorry bout that

??? the previous post was from 2003... What are you sorry about...? Are you going for the necroposter???

[BartSimpson]

Ripcat wrote:

Why is it that some people who feel that people shouldn't be allow to be gay, even though gays are productive members of society, because they may become a burden on our healthcare system as they may be more likely to contract an STD than a straight person, are all set to allow the birth of a child that may need very expensive care 24 hrs a day for their entire life and never be a contributing member of society.

Then you support genetic screening and the abortion of children who do not fit a "healthy" profile.

The question becomes then at what pont this will become mandatory.

[BartSimpson]

bossdog wrote:

Today, we'll stop birth defects, healthe problems, etc. Tomorrow, we'll be pre-ordering our babies to create a society of blond-haired, blue eyed, "Stepford" style of society.

And what would be wrong with that, I wonder?

[BartSimpson]

lily wrote:

Quote:

...the liberals and they're all rabidly pro-abortion.

No they're not.

I've never met a non-Catholic who opposed abortion. In California if you don't support abortion-on-demand even as the baby is being born then the liberals come welling up from the nether regions screaming about how you're killing womyn.

Are you a liberal who opposes abortion? I really hope so as it would be nice to know at least one.

[DerbyX]

Koopsta wrote:

With the advancement of genetic research it may to detect candidates that are more likely to birth a child with a "defect". WIth this knowledge though we're bound to experience a movement to ban these people from having children tht we know will "burdent the system". Thoughts?

An amniocentesis is designed to obtain fetal cells and genetic screening is actually a fairly simple process, especially with the advent of DNA microarrays. The progession of genetic research is to develop the ability to fix genetic problems before they exert their influence.