Bio-ethicist Sparks Furor by Suggesting Abortions of Disabled
Well, I have to say that is pretty insensitive.
So what? This is simply this man’s personal views. He’s not using them to make or encourage policy. He fully disclaims that the views are his own and not the government office he works for.
As with all abortion decisions, I say leave it up to the mother. What’s the difference between having an abortion because one doesn’t feel able to care for a child and aborting because the child stands a good chance of being severely disabled?
Wasn’t there a pit thread recently about a woman who purposely tried to conceive a deaf child? What’s more cruel–having an abortion because the child may be severely disabled, or intentionally bringing a severely disabled child into the world?
None of this is to say that I don’t think disabled people deserve to live. With all our advances in medicine, people with all kinds of handicaps can do more than ever, and I have the utmost respect for all the people that help them do so.
This is just this guy’s opinion. He’s not trying to say everyone should follow it in any official capacity.
Can blindness be detected in utero?
Shouldn’t this be in GD?
Tsubaki, I don’t think so. Exposure to toxoplasmosis at certain stages of pregnancy can cause blindness and other conditions but we already know that and most women will be offered the chance to terminate if they contract toxo in pregnancy.
On a purely anecdotal level I’ve just had the evening from hell with my oldest kid and it further reinforces my stance that parents should be allowed to make a choice that they can live with. Life with kids with disabilities is not some Disease of the Week movie where we all rise triumphantly above life’s adversities.
I wouldn’t now choose to be without my kids as they are but I might have chosen differently given the choice in pregnancy.