food for thought...
By raclie
@raclie (1732)
Singapore
July 21, 2008 1:20am CST
i saw an advertisment for a show today...
it is called dying to sleep by the human spirit...
and it is about a family which has a type of rare genetic disorder called FFI
read about it here...
http://www.writersreviews.com/2008/02/ffi-fatal-insomnia-that-can-kill.html
you just CANNOT sleep at all...
and thus die about 9 months later or something like that...
and that makes me think...
if you have a rare genetic disorder running in your family, will you still want to get married and have childern, with a high chance that your child will have it as well.
i mean....
it is rather selfish for you to do that...
right?
will it be better if you just have an adoption and let that disorder die out?
i mean....
not all genetic disorders, such as astma or something else, but just rare ones...
so will want to have kids when you have that kind of desease?
3 people like this
6 responses
@zeloguy (4911)
• United States
21 Jul 08
I have a VERY rare condition that is actually on the list of rare diseases by the government of the US and was recognized as being only in a few hundred people in the whole world (now more and more cases are being discovered as people are shown more and more to be misdiagnosed as being epileptic when they have what I have).
Now as for kids... the reason it is so rare is because it is not contagious and although it is a gene that is passed on it is a gene that does not produce that paricular disorder per se... it could cause epilepsy or depression or any number of neurological disorders... and a LOT of people have this gene and a very few have any problems.
Now it is all genes that make us the way we are so the question then becomes would you have kids if you have asthma or a history of high blood pressure or a history of depression... not only in you but in your whole family.
If we do that then we are selectively engineering who gets born and who does not get born and that can be quite a terrible thing, no?
Thanks
Zelo
Zelo 2 people like this
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
22 Jul 09
What you describe here is a very real concern. Though I do agree that it would be irresponsible to have children knowing that they will definately have a genetic disorder...WE would be opening a awful can of worms we may not want to deal with if we start telling people who can have kids and who can't. And even though we think it would not come to that....it is to terrible to even take the chance it would. I shudder to think of what the LAW would impose.
Better that each individual couple take the responsibility to be aware and decide for themselves. Our culture is such that having abortion available we have developed the attitude that we can pick and choose. Used to be...you dealt with what you were given. All children are a gift from the Creator and all life is worthy to be lived. Who are we to say someone would suffer 'to much'. We are not God....even though we are gaining so much in knowledge and ability in science, we still do not know enough... to play God. That's just my opinion.
@danishcanadian (28954)
• Canada
22 Jul 08
I'll have to read about that. If I had a rare genetic disorder that ran in my family, I would make sure that my spouse knew about it, and that we would NOT have hildren. I do not want to pass somehing poentially harmful onto another human being. I also wouldn't want to lie to my spouse about having perfect health when I really did not.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
28 Jul 08
Hmm... that is a very good question. And a pretty valid one too.
I don't really know what I would have done. 
Genetics is something that is really peculiar. A genetic disorder that happens this generation may not necessary happen in the next. It may skip a few generations before it happens again. Or it may not happen at all.
How can you be sure that your child will get it if you were to bring it into this world?
But then again, you also would not want the child to suffer the same pains and tribulation that you went through with this disorder.
What a dilemma! 
Genetics is something that is really peculiar. A genetic disorder that happens this generation may not necessary happen in the next. It may skip a few generations before it happens again. Or it may not happen at all.
How can you be sure that your child will get it if you were to bring it into this world?
But then again, you also would not want the child to suffer the same pains and tribulation that you went through with this disorder.
What a dilemma! 
@honeydew82174 (1720)
• United States
21 Jul 08
wow! I would adopt before I ever passed this down to someone! It would be a nightmare watching someone suffer like this! 
@magojordan (3252)
• Philippines
22 Jul 08
If I had that disease I'll definitely tell my partner about it. Also having children would be an option but having them live with a high chance of inheriting that condition, then I wouldn't pursue on having one, instead I would opt for adoption. I mean there are a lot of kids who need care and attention from real parents right?
I mean there are a lot of kids who need care and attention from real parents right?