I was watching a show on TLC about a family who has two children that were each born with the same rare, incurable, potentially life threatening disease. After the birth of the first child, the parents realized that they each carried the recessive trait for this disease and that if they chose to have a second child, there was a 1 in 4 chance of that child having the same disease as their first. They decided to have a second child, who was born with cerebral palsy in addition to the other disorder (harlequin icthyosis).
So I was wondering, if your first child was born with an incurable disease/condition, and you'd originally planned to have more than one child, and you knew the odds of having subsequent children being born with the same disease.....would you still plan or try to have a second child?
-- Edited by Buttercup at 00:28, 2006-06-22
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
Wow BC, that is a toughie. I honestly dont think I would try for another one. I have seen the way children with disabilities are treated and its sad. They get pushed aside and placed in "special" groups. Its not fair to the child to be brought into this world when you very well know you have a 25% chance of them not being a healthy child. I feel the same way about mothers who drink and smoke while they are pregnant. If you know you cant stop, dont have kids. Dont make them suffer just because you dont have the self control and will to stop something you know is harmful to your unborn child.
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"Take your hands off the car, and I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document."
I don't think that I could do it, I don't think I could take that risk and I don't think it would be fair to deplete or diminish the resources (emotional, physical, and financial) that would be needed for my first child whether the second child was born healthy or not, and secondarily the strain it would place on my marriage.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
Plush wrote: I couldn't do that. It is just retarded in too many ways to discuss. I think it is selfish.
The parents in this case were originally in disagreement as to whether or not to have a second child, the father initially said no but the mother wanted to "give him a healthy child," and he ultimately relented.
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
Buttercup wrote: Plush wrote: I couldn't do that. It is just retarded in too many ways to discuss. I think it is selfish.
The parents in this case were originally in disagreement as to whether or not to have a second child, the father initially said no but the mother wanted to "give him a healthy child," and he ultimately relented.
The money spent on the second child could have been used on an adopted child. A HEALTHY adopted child.
I was watching a show on TLC about a family who has two children that were each born with the same rare, incurable, potentially life threatening disease. After the birth of the first child, the parents realized that they each carried the recessive trait for this disease and that if they chose to have a second child, there was a 1 in 4 chance of that child having the same disease as their first. They decided to have a second child, who was born with cerebral palsy in addition to the other disorder (harlequin icthyosis). So I was wondering, if your first child was born with an incurable disease/condition, and you'd originally planned to have more than one child, and you knew the odds of having subsequent children being born with the same disease.....would you still plan or try to have a second child? -- Edited by Buttercup at 00:28, 2006-06-22
No.
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"The statements and opinions contained in this communication do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Commission regarding these issues."
This woman sounds like she felt guilty or something and thought she could beat the odds with the second child. I think her own ego/guilt got in the way of better judgement and she now condemmed yet another child to a "lifeless" life style.
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And your point is???? Don't have one? Well then shut up and I'll give you one!
oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. 
And your point is???? Don't have one? Well then shut up and I'll give you one!
