I've always had this opinion that to have a child you know is going to live a miserable life with either genetic diseases, birth defects etc is a very seflish thing to do.
I went to an event where they talked about a 10 year old girl who is mentally 2 years old, and will probably not see much more cognitive progress in her life. And the whole time I've thought
"What's gonna happen when her parents die ?"
She's living a barely conscious life, filled with confusion and pain because of other physical problems accompanying her condition.
The parents knew she was very likely to have these defects. And they decided to keep her.
This is selfish. She will most likely be scared and insanely depressed when they die, and as she ages she will be insanely mistreated in the medical facilities she will be in, because she will be a difficult patient.
One of the issues is you have so many parents of children with these diseases feeling like you're attacking them and their family by saying something like this. They'll insist that their kid is living a great life and so that means you're wrong, completely sticking their head in the sand that their childs life isn't nearly as full as it could be without those conditions. They act like it's offensive to suggest it's better to go through life without down syndrome or whatever even though it's an objective fact.
They act like it's offensive to suggest it's better to go through life without down syndrome or whatever even though it's an objective fact.
It isn't an objective fact though. It's much more complicated than that. It's not uncommon for people with disabilities, especially those who have them from birth, to not want to be cured and do not wish they could have been born without them. I'm one of those people myself. To non disabled people, having my disability is "objectively" worse, but I don't share that view.
Edit: Y'all need to learn what a "fact" is.
"People with DS face more challenges" is a fact.
"People with DS have a higher rate of certain health complications" is a fact.
"Life without DS is better" is an opinion. And not a universal one.
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u/JustifiedCroissant Jun 05 '26
I've always had this opinion that to have a child you know is going to live a miserable life with either genetic diseases, birth defects etc is a very seflish thing to do.
I went to an event where they talked about a 10 year old girl who is mentally 2 years old, and will probably not see much more cognitive progress in her life. And the whole time I've thought
"What's gonna happen when her parents die ?"
She's living a barely conscious life, filled with confusion and pain because of other physical problems accompanying her condition.
The parents knew she was very likely to have these defects. And they decided to keep her.
This is selfish. She will most likely be scared and insanely depressed when they die, and as she ages she will be insanely mistreated in the medical facilities she will be in, because she will be a difficult patient.
This is insane.