Should two reccessive genetic carriers for Sickle-cell have children? Get married? Get a vasectomy?

[deb1]

Yep. The Nazis did lots of things people are trying to re-package today.

And I would agree that the results of the Nazi programs were sub-optimal.

In the early twentieth century, European and AMerican academia all approved of eugenics. It was considered more merciful among the elite to prevent certain classes of humans from having progeny and thus spreading their genetic defects to future generation. We know now that this kind of thinking led to Nazism but it was a widespread type of thinking among the educated at the time.

Sometimes it is easy to look at the people of the early to mid twentieth century and condemn them for believing such outrageous, obviously cruel, philosophies. Yet, we are seeing a resurgence of this type of thinking being masqueraded as compassion.

 

[deb1]

Let’s say a man and woman fall in love and decide they want to get married.

They both have a history of Sickle-cell anemia in the family, so they decide to get genetic counseling. It turns out that they are both unaffected carriers of the disease. They don’t have the disease itself, but they are genetic carriers for it.

These two people do not have to marry one another. If they want children badly without the risk of sickle cell anemia then they should seperate now and find someone else to marry.

If they choose to marry, the couple could either refrain from sex or they could be very, very diligent in practicing NFP. Of course, they could also opt to have children and take thier chances that one or more might develop the disease.

Considering that we all die, I am uncertain why a shorter life is of less value then a longer one.

.

In fact, and this is no joke, a friend of mine just died of complications as a direct result of SS. He was 21.

My condolonces. I know that loosing someone you cared for can be painful.:console: As a Christian I am comforted by the fact that there is more to this life then our short existence on earth. Perhaps you will meet your friend again, maybe he is even in heaven praying for you now. That is what comforts me about my loved ones’ deaths.

It is my contention that the couple have a responsibility to keep this disease from passing on. I don’t think they should break up, but I think they should seriously consider adoption as an alternative to concieving a child themselves. I don’t think they should give up sex and I definately think they should use contraception.

What do you think?

Was it not worth knowing your friend? Did he not add something to your life? Are you saying that you would be happier if your friend had never existed?

 

[rpp]

In the early twentieth century, European and AMerican academia all approved of eugenics. It was considered more merciful among the elite to prevent certain classes of humans from having progeny and thus spreading their genetic defects to future generation. We know now that this kind of thinking led to Nazism but it was a widespread type of thinking among the educated at the time.

Sometimes it is easy to look at the people of the early to mid twentieth century and condemn them for believing such outrageous, obviously cruel, philosophies. Yet, we are seeing a resurgence of this type of thinking being masqueraded as compassion.

Yes, you are correct. Eugenics was not invented by the Nazis, but they were the first society to embrace it as far as I know. However, we can see the results of forced sterilizations, abortions and murder. And I do not mean the death camps. I mean they way they treated the disabled the chronically ill, and the mentally ill.

Eugenics is evil. It presumes that people are only worthwhile if they are physically and mentally healthy. Tell that to Stephen Hawking or John Ford Nash.

 

[KathleenElsie]

So your life would have been better without your friend?

As an only child,because my mom found out she had a genetic diease when she was pregnant with me, I am against the idea. My life as an only child because of my mom’s choice to contracept was lonely and sad and very hard when I had to plan her funeral by myself. I had the option of testing myself for this disease and my mom really tried to push me into it but choose not to and have welcomed 4 DDs into my life and I would not trade them in because they Might suffer in thier life. They have been great blessings to others that I have loved.

Steph

Welcome and well said. My family had refused to have any of the pre-natal counseling and tests done. The children God gives us are the children God intended us to have.

 

[KinseyMcGuire]

<<<So why stop at Sickel cell anemia? Why not sterilize those who carry the genes for Type I diabetes? In fact, let’s create what we believe the ideal human life should be; test people for the right genetic make up; and then sterilize those who don’t make the mark. I don’t thinks so.>>>

This is exactly my fear with all this genetic testing! My mother had me at 36, and she was told there was a good chance she’d have a Downs Syndrome baby. She chose to trust God and did not get the amimo-tesis tests (I know I’m spelling that wrong, blah) deciding that she asked God for a child and she would love whatever baby He felt should be her child. That has been a great inspiration for me about having children of my own, because I have Tourette’s Syndrome and childhood with TS can be very difficult. But I trust if God sends to me a child with TS it’s because He knows I have my own experince to use to help my child.

I believe that God makes every baby to fulfill a purpose. We have to trust Him and not give in to our own fears. The Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding, but rely on HIS!

 

[deb1]

<<<So why stop at Sickel cell anemia? Why not sterilize those who carry the genes for Type I diabetes? In fact, let’s create what we believe the ideal human life should be; test people for the right genetic make up; and then sterilize those who don’t make the mark. I don’t thinks so.>>>

This is exactly my fear with all this genetic testing! My mother had me at 36, and she was told there was a good chance she’d have a Downs Syndrome baby. She chose to trust God and did not get the amimo-tesis tests (I know I’m spelling that wrong, blah) deciding that she asked God for a child and she would love whatever baby He felt should be her child. That has been a great inspiration for me about having children of my own, because I have Tourette’s Syndrome and childhood with TS can be very difficult. But I trust if God sends to me a child with TS it’s because He knows I have my own experince to use to help my child.

I believe that God makes every baby to fulfill a purpose. We have to trust Him and not give in to our own fears. The Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding, but rely on HIS!

My oldest son has TS. He just emailed me from his college to let me know that he is going to be in a video game tournament this weekend.

 

[4roses]

A couple of thoughts.

When I had my first baby, we received news via mail (mandatory public healthy testing) that he tested postive for sickle cell and would need another blood test to confirm. It would be faster for me and my husband to go to our own doctors and have them do an electro-pharesis to determine if we were carries. Well, bingo, I was. So, may husband went and bingo, he was. We were distraught and devasted. We’d been reading about the “suffering disease”. Even as an on-fire new convert, I had moments when I thought, “This is it, we can’t have any more kids”.

On a whim, we had my husband retest. His first result was a mistake, he is not a carrier. As a result, my son could only have the trait, not the disease. Thank you, Jesus.

In those 7 yrs I’ve matured a lot and learned a lot. Our next baby had icompatible with life heart defects (she’s survived and does great). Each baby after that was okay, but the chances were they could have had something too - it’s the risk of love.

Quality of life is not defined soley or even primarily by lack of suffering, but by the love you live in and love out.

But thankfully, the truth is, sickle cell anemia has been completely eradicated in some pediatric patienst by means of adult stem cell therapies. And there are other therapies on the way.

So, in short, should they marry and have kids: it’s none of our business, but if they do, God bless them.