Okay, here's my rant. First of all, this idea of genetic perfectionism is already part of today's cultural baggage, even when ART (artificial reproductive technologies) aren't being used. For example, I know there's controversy in the UK over very late-term abortions being permitted in the case of cleft palates. Cleft palates, in general a minor birth defect (!)--repairable with surgery, sometimes only with minor surgery, rarely life-threatening, oftentimes only a cosmetic problem (and with as amazing as plastic surgery is these days, maybe not even that). If a child with a cleft palate is available within the adoption system, it may be years before that child is adopted.* I had a cleft palate. Made my parent's lives a little more complicated when I was young, but otherwise hasn't been a deterrent to doing whatever I wanted to do in life.

Because I'm expecting twins (which automatically puts the pregnancy in a higher-risk category), while I was still in Pittsburgh, I had to go to a maternal-fetal specialist clinic. I didn't like the first two doctors we saw at all. They calmly listed statistical possibilities for birth defects and options for "termination."** I told them that (1) one of our closest friends has down's syndrome (actually, two of our close friends) and another has spina bifida and that (2) we had been researching special needs adoption before we became pregnant (a long story, maybe I'll share another time) so (3) we would take what God gave us. One doctor--I don't remember which--said something like "Well, some people feel differently when it's their own child." (wait, wouldn't an adopted child be our own child?) Because of the way they approached the subject (and kept harping on it!), I felt challenged on decisions that we had already made as a couple. Thankfully, the OBs that I've seen here in Athens are absolutely terrific and respect my decisions.

Maybe it wasn't so much what they said as the underlying assumption that if there were anything wrong, we would automatically "do something" about it.

Obviously, the primary concern is the equation that disability=having an unhappy life, a life not worth living, being somehow inferior, however you want to work the equation out.

But beyond that, I wonder what the effect is on children who aren't born with disabilities? I hear more and more about the broken self-esteem in young people these days, especially in girls. I haven't read it, but I know the book Reviving Ophelia addresses some of these issues.

Is it possible that in the face of the attitude that those who aren't genetically perfect may be terminated (maybe in some minds should be terminated), that those who are genetically "sound" may wonder if they would be loved if they were less than perfect? Could this idea of genetic perfection undermine a sense of unconditional love in "normal" children these days?

I think Gattaca touches on this issue somewhat in the character played by Jude Law, someone who was engineered to be genetically perfect but through an accident loses that "perfection." In a way, his life is more difficult than the man with genetic imperfections who strives on despite his limitations.

I don't know. Any thoughts??

*there are frequently grants available to help with adoption costs in these cases, in case anyone is interested! Same with adoption in the case of a Down's Syndrome child (I've actually heard that for every DS child placed for adoption, there are something like four families waiting to adopt him or her!).

**Tim felt like they were required to tell us all of the possibilities as part of their job. I was a little more emotional at that point (leave my babies alone!!), so my reaction may have been colored.

Touchy subject indeed that emotions can't be left out of.
My pastor (up in Michigan) and his wife have a child that, literally, only has a half of a brain. She is about 6 months younger than me. She was born with half of her brain outside of her head and they had to remove that part. They don't know what they would do without her in their life and neither does my church family up there.

Two friends of mine just had their first baby this past October -- only one that time! :) Apparently, during one of their pre-natal visits the doctor tried to convince them that they were too young and they have their lives ahead of them, maybe this wasn't the best time to have child. They are a year or two older than I am.

I do have a "girl problem" that, when I was a teenager, the only way to fix it was to put me on birth control. Now, I'm learning that although birth control is one way to go about it, its not the only way.

I am learning that seeing life through the eyes of a child is rough on adults who have "been there, done that". We know what kind of walls are up ahead and we get worn out.

Children, unfortunately, are looked at as an ailment. Something to be fixed and/or tinkered with to our satisfaction. You can't have too many of them . . . noo!! There are too many people in the world already!!

My friend who has 5 children, now has to deal with stares and all sorts of nosey questions. "So, are you done yet?!", "Do you know what is causing that!?". Children aren't enjoyed as much as they should be. Its so sad. What makes me sadder is knowing that what comes out the mouth is outflow of the heart. So, that means many adults loathe their existence and are just doing what they need to until they cross the finish line.

Carrie, thanks for your heartfelt post! The thing I've found with large families is that they're a lot less wasteful than yuppieish families with 1.4 kids, or whatever the current statistic is. I know a family with ten kids and they don't waste ANYTHING.

On the other hand, I've been watching a series on Victorian England, and apparently the life insurance costs for women in their 20s and 30s was huge (!), and it actually was much cheaper to insure a woman over forty--because she was past childbearing years and soooo many women died in childbirth, since they were frequently having 10-15 kids with no choice in the matter and frequently didn't have the means to take care of themselves or their kids (so there were huge infant/child mortality rate as well).

I'm not opposed to b/c or even ART used responsibly (I know this is a gray area where Christians make different decisions), it's just the attitude about kids (especially kids with disabilities) that bothers me.

Jo, I'm not in the know . . . what is the "ART" that you are referring to?? I'm pretty sure you aren't talking about painting or drawing responsibly when raising children . . . .

hee! I mentioned it earlier in the post--it means assisted reproductive technologies, and encompasses a whole range of things, usually treating infertility.

I went and re-read. Sorry!!

I was the one being geeky and using weird abbreviations, haha! :-)