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Would you have a baby if you knew s/he would have a genetic disease and why?

I am not sure if I would make the effort to become pregnant if I was aware that I might transfer a genetic disease on to my offspring.  I would take precautions to avoid becoming pregnant if I were aware that there might be a genetic disease in the future of my offspring.

If I were unaware of the possibility of transferring a genetic disease to my offspring until after conception, I might have to have a long hard sit-down/think about the severity of the disease, life-expectance, and level of care involved with a person who might be born with the disease.  (Personally, I am pro-choice prior to conception...but I understand that there are individual issues that go beyond my religious/political beliefs) The opportunity for research and treatment for genetic disease is improving with the DNA mapping technology and discoveries of the human genome. So, again, depending on the level of severity, I might have a child with a genetic disorder and hope that technology is there to help my child to have a decent and productive life in spite of the problems associated with the genetic disease.

I am a special education teacher, and I know that many people have problems in life. The beauty is that even though persons have handicapping conditions and life limiting problems, they still contribute.

I am quite clear in my mind that if I knew my child is going to have a serious genetic defect, which will be a handicap for my child, then I would prefer not to give life to such child. This is for the simple reason that, to the extent I can help, I do not want my children to have any handicap in life. I don't want my loved ones to suffer, even if it means to have no one to love. But of course, people with genetic defects do have the option of adopting other children.

However I must also make it very clear that if I did have a child with any handicap, genetic or otherwise, I would still love and cherish him or her to the same extent as a normal child.

Well personally, I would have this child , because I gave life to it and I cannot just take it away as soon as I got to know its going to have a genetic disease as first:

• I was the reason why it is alive
• it is God's wish
• I cannot kill a soul that I created

Yes, I agree that you can just not accept it because it is dificult to handle this situation when the "baby" grows, but this would be your faith in life, and you  have got to accept it.. It's like  buying an egg; you don't know if its cracked because it's in the package but you bought it and you need to face the consequences..

this is just an opinion of mine..

The shortest answer is: it depends on you!

1. Whether the baby is already conceived or not.
2. Whether the disease is such that a normal life can be pursued under appropriate treatment.
3. Whether your values are such that it worthwhile to care for a child that might compromise your own freedom completely.

Eugenic abortion is a possible alternative to the third one, economical status might be a factor on the second, and self-restraint would definitely determine the first.

I hope this was clear and concise enough.

Without a doubt, a baby with special needs is more challenging in terms of care.  However, every child is a gift.  Every child is worthy of love.  Sometimes it is the child with special needs who teaches us more about love and tolerance than the "normal" child. 

I do not believe in abortion.  It is murder, plain and simple.  All children are gifts...there are no mistakes.  Difficult or not, I would have the child.

I saw a touching news story recently about a couple who found out during the course of the pregnancy that their child would only survive for a day or two because of a significant birth defect. They chose to go through the pregnancy and spent the few hours of their newborn's life celebrating him and making photographs. Their family and friends were with them through the whole thing. It was one of the saddest, yet joyful things I had ever seen.

It depends on the severity of the disorder.

There are some babies who are so severely disabled that their life is very short and full of pain. And while this tragic little life painfully moves towards its unavoidable death, the parents suffer deep and lasting trauma. There is no positive in a situation like this and an abortion of this malformed animal is just and kind. Sometimes the reproduction process makes mistakes.

It is immoral to brow-beat other people that they 'must' bring all the damaged and flawed life into this world, if it can be avoided. Children are not 'gifts from God', they are the products of their parent's DNA. There are mistakes in this process. Abortion is not a crime nor a sin, it is the removal of a miniscule pin-prick of a few human cells that have failed to form properly.

As for the claimed religious nature of conception in Post 4, (ie that a 'soul' enters at the precise moment the sperm fuses with the egg)... what happens to this soul when, as sometimes happens, the bundle of cells doubling and doubling, accidently doubles and separates into two bundles, leading to identical twins. How will these two human cope with only one soul?

I believe that the choice to have children is a human responsibility that many people take lightly (until the decision is upon them)  The economic and family structure as well as health concerns should warrant serious consideration.  If you knew by researching your family history that your child would have a 50% chance to have a serious genetic disorder, it is irresponsible to ignore this possibility.  I believe that I could raise an adopted child rather than chancing a tough existence on my new child.  Would you flip a coin on an existing child and gouge out one of thier eyes if it landed on heads?  Some prospective parents are doing this through their lack of education and responsibility.

What needs to be taken into consideration is the uniqueness of the human condition. Of course it is vital that life-limiting or inhibiting conditions be given due consideration when the plan to continue with a pregnancy is being made, but we need to broaden our minds as to what is 'normal' in society. It is virtually impossible to gauge the quality of someone else's life without their input on our level using our social codes. Down's Syndrome is a typical genetic disorder that we seek to eliminate with overt or covert genetic engineering. Yet by doing this we lose loving, caring and astute individuals who may not 'dance to our tune' but have a unique 'music' of their own. We are working against the principal of natural selection when we take action in such cases - and we do not know the long term implications of this tampering: we could be advancing our own extinction when we think we are building a master race.