Ashley's post made me remember something interesting I read a while ago while I was waiting for my mom at the doctors office. Did you know that some doctors consider prenatal screening to be a eugenics-based practice? It's not totally an unfair statement considering that an average of 90% of Down syndrome pregnancies are voluntarily terminated. I don't have any sources on that figure, mind, but it was in the magazine. Anyway, they say that's why some people refuse prenatal screening, and some doctors can recommend against prenatal screening. The whole idea seemed really bizarre to me.
On one hand I can understand not wanting to know if something was wrong in the vein that you're already invested in this baby and it's yours and you're going to love it no matter what. Or maybe you don't want to stress yourself out any more than you have to. But I think I'd like to know as much as I could about what's coming up. Boy or girl? Husband's or boss's? As much as I appreciate the idea of being surprised I think I'd want to know if the baby I was carrying was going to have complications. Of course, I've never been pregnant and I don't really plan to be.
It does give you the chance to opt out. As much as I'd like to say I don't think you should, raising a special-needs child is hard. And expensive. And I can see where you might want to just try again. It's a big decision. And not screening saves you from making that decision. I guess the better decision would be to adopt, since you don't have to go through all the bloating and stuff. If there's supposed to be a biological need to hold your own offspring I guess I haven't felt that one yet. I've never understood why people get so dead-set on having their own children. Why pay $10,000+ for fertility treatments when you could spend that on a guaranteed kid? Are your genes that impressive? Michael Phelps, perhaps, but otherwise I really don't understand the appeal. And it's not even one of those I-could-choose-to-understand-but-I'm-acting-like-I'm-above-the-concept things. I honestly don't get it.
On one hand I can understand not wanting to know if something was wrong in the vein that you're already invested in this baby and it's yours and you're going to love it no matter what. Or maybe you don't want to stress yourself out any more than you have to. But I think I'd like to know as much as I could about what's coming up. Boy or girl? Husband's or boss's? As much as I appreciate the idea of being surprised I think I'd want to know if the baby I was carrying was going to have complications. Of course, I've never been pregnant and I don't really plan to be.
It does give you the chance to opt out. As much as I'd like to say I don't think you should, raising a special-needs child is hard. And expensive. And I can see where you might want to just try again. It's a big decision. And not screening saves you from making that decision. I guess the better decision would be to adopt, since you don't have to go through all the bloating and stuff. If there's supposed to be a biological need to hold your own offspring I guess I haven't felt that one yet. I've never understood why people get so dead-set on having their own children. Why pay $10,000+ for fertility treatments when you could spend that on a guaranteed kid? Are your genes that impressive? Michael Phelps, perhaps, but otherwise I really don't understand the appeal. And it's not even one of those I-could-choose-to-understand-but-I'm-acting-like-I'm-above-the-concept things. I honestly don't get it.
posted by Erin @ 11:05 PM
3 Comments:
At 2:56 PM, November 17, 2008 ,
The Wayward E said...
If my doctor recommended against prenatal screening, I would roll my eyes and find a different one. I think that it would be totally irresponsible of a physician to suggest that you deny yourself vital information about your baby and the future of your family just to prevent you from making a choice that she/he may morally disagree with. That's not what being a doctor is about.
The only thing about early prenatal testing that I don't like is that it isn't always 100% accurate. My parents did early screening on Hailey (b/c of my mom's age, mainly) and were told that there was an 80% chance that she had a major chromasomal abnormality that would leave her mentally handicapped and physically deformed.
An 80% chance? What the fuck are you supposed to do with that? My mom was left with the decision to have an abortion, or to wait for the amniocentisis to confirm or deny the results in a few months. If the diagnosis was confirmed, that would have meant having a 3rd trimester abortion.
She waited for the amnio, it came back negative, everything went as planned.
Now my sister is...well, she's basically a disaster. But chromasomally, she's completely normal.
The point is, your children are going to have enough unexpected and bizarre mental and emotional problems. You've got to try to give them the best and most perfect bodies/brains that you possibly can, and that may mean trying again if something is wrong.
This is probably going to sound weird, but I feel like you have the same children, no matter what...bodies they're in? Like, there are souls, and it's your job to put them into a body, but if that body is broken or damaged somehow, it's cruel to make them live it it. If you have an abortion and try again, it's like you're giving the same soul a diffent body to live it.
I guess I believe in reincarnation?! It's a little confusing, but it makes perfect sense to me. I've had a very deep sense of this being the way of things ever since I can remember. Probably I just misunderstood something in Sunday school. Religious/spiritual education can be a troublesome thing.
Okay, I totally rambled. I thought about this stuff a lot growing up.
PSST...I'm texting you today.
At 2:59 PM, November 17, 2008 ,
The Wayward E said...
Woo! Spelling and grammatical errors abound!
At 3:01 PM, November 17, 2008 ,
The Wayward E said...
FYI, I think that 3rd trimester abortion is really...icky, if not morally wrong. Fetuses by that point in development have a CNS and can respond to pain.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home