“Third, your ethical objection is unsound. If a parent is opposed to abortion on moral grounds then they should never be tempted to kill their child. Saying that parents should remain ignorant about the genetic defects a child might possess since it might lead them to kill their baby is a perverse view of the moral situation.”
My ethical objection to which Joe was responding was this:
“I reject this proposal for widespread testing on ethical grounds. These tests are not perfect and they place the parent in an impossible situation. To be told that your child has a certain percentage likelihood of a genetic defect is too much. Parents are at their most vulnerable at this time.”
In the comment string, after noting the high number of false positives, I promised to flesh out these ethical objections more clearly. That is what this post is about.
A True Story
When my wife was pregnant with our son, we were advised to seek “genetic counseling” due to some statistical abnormalities that appeared during routine blood work. We made an appointment at the
We were told that there was a small percentage that our son would be born with Down Syndrome and advised to have an amniocentesis. The counselor spoke in hushed tones with a very serious look on her face then left us to watch a video.
The video showed two boys of equal age playing in a living room. One of the boys was cute and active and bright. The other was drooling on himself, with a disfigured face, frumpy clothes and awkward small motor skills.
The video asked us: Is this what you want?
I was outraged.
The Point
For my wife and I there was no question that we were going to keep our baby. But we had a game plan going in to this. The point of the graphic video was clear – you don’t want to give birth to a kid like this! Think of the hardship and disappointment and mess and frustration.... just “terminate the pregnancy.”
Parents are placed under enormous pressure when they walk in to medical establishments that pop off lots of statistics, show propaganda and use the power of suggestion. In our situation, I can identify all three of those things.
And to be honest, in the whirlwind of the moment, it was a little hard to think straight. Once we got out of the office and prayed and talked, the truth came into greater focus and it was a no-brainer what to do.
How This Relates to Amniocentesis
Besides being an invasive procedure that can cause miscarriage, amniocentesis is being used as a test to weed out unwanted children – whether for their sex, genetic make-up or something else. This was expressly stated in the original article I quoted. I say it is unethical to subject parents to that kind of pressure.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading that story I'm curious if your son was born with down syndrome or not.
No Down Syndrome!
ReplyDeleteHe suffers from other genetic defects unrelated to DS.
The video you mentioned makes my blood boil!!!! That video in and of itself is IMMORAL!!!! It's giving partiality to one human being over another, AND in this they are claiming "rights" to be god (having authority over what child should be born and what child should not be born)! When my husband (Jason) told me about your post - I had to come read it! I just can't believe the video.....or the push for amneo's!!!! ANY risk is a risk, and it's not worth it! The fact that it's 1 and 200 isn't significant - it's the fact that it's a RISK! Would we let our toddlers play in a STREET that rarely has straffic just b/c the risk of them getting run over is minimal?? Do we let our infants/toddlers eat nuts or any other high allergen foods before the pediatricians advise it because the risk of OUR children having an allergy is small? NO!, because it's RISKY!!! It's absurd to think that it's more important to know (though, of course it'd be convenient for "planning" and "preparation") if our child has DS or any other genetic disorder than to know that we did all we could to protect our child!
ReplyDeleteWe too (as you probably know) : ) had an u/s and some testing done that showed we were at risk for having a DS baby or a baby with cystic fibrosis. They didn't show the video, and it's a good thing b/c I don't think I would have had the GRACE that you portrayed for those who allowed it to be shown!!Anyhow, they did encourage an amneo, which we refused because of the risks involved!!!
It's the new genecide, in some ways! Let's make this world a "perfect" world by getting rid of all the babies that don't fall into our "perfect" category in our finite minds!!
I'm sorry, Paul! I know I'm "preaching to the choir", but just had to comment here b/c this gets me fired up! :) Thanks for taking a stand and posting on these things!!!!
Thankful that God is sovereign, and we can trust His gracious hand!!
I read your blog by accident when looking for information on amniocentesis and Down's Syndrome. Since the post is so recent, I just have to react... A bit over a week ago my blood test results showed a staggering 1 in 20 chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome. For a woman of my age, the average risk was said to be from 1 in 400 to 1 in 1000. Quite a shock. My own doctor told me that there is no point in an amniocentesis if we are planning to have th baby anyway. The geneticist stressed that knowing for sure could have benefits. But with a lot of help from God both I and my husband have firmly decided to rather remain in the insecurity of not knowing for sure than to put our child (no matter if healthy or not) in any risk. I am peaceful about the state of my child - this is in God's hands. But I am greatly disturbed by the system of prenatal testing. Nobody asked me if I wanted that so-called triple test. It is routine. Probably had I been asked, I would have said yes, as I am still young and would naturally expect a reassuring result. But the fact that these tests are not explained to the mothers before being made, is in my opinion wrong. And then what follows the "positive" result... I spent hours with distraught mothers in waiting rooms and my heart goes out for women who have not the grace from God to accept His will. It must be a million times worse to go through this process thinking of the possibility of killing the child you wanted. That there is a system in place which puts women into this situation is in my opinion outrageous. Termination is hovering at the background of all this testing as an offered solution to the problem of a "substandard" child. It seems an infernal idea to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your input on this topic everyone. I'm a student @ Liberty University and I'm working on my Masters in "Marriage and Family Counseling. Liberty is a Christian college. For my first paper I'm was asked to write a 200-250 word paper answer the question Is it possible to provide genetic counseling as a Christian? How would you help a couple who was wanted counseling to determine if they were going to carry their pregnancy to term? I don't know how to answer this. I guess I really didn't understand what genetic counseling was until I read your inputs. I guess I could guide someone on the possibilities of a genetic abnormality but all I could do is provide information to best help the couple reach there goals what that was as long as it was ethical. I don't think I could ever tell any one to abort a child. I would try to let them know of the circumstance and the possibility of that circumstance prior the possibility happening (conception) and inform them if they could live with the possible out come then adoption is a beautiful choice too.
ReplyDeletecame across this blog as I was praying about a recent decision I had made. I was studying to become a GC and was always fighting with my belief systems. I always questioned why abortion seemed to be at the forefront so often? Everyone I came into contact with in the field, seemed to believe the offer of 'abortion' was the only option. Needless to say I am no longer in the program because I Will Not be a part of what I consider to be mass murders of innocent little ones who God created. Since my decision, I have done quite a bit more research regarding this field and confirmed the convictions I felt. My only goal for studying this field was to empower parents,future parents and family members with information on their genetic makeup/s, but not to be a participant in offering 'abortions' as an option. To complete this course required practice sessions during which the words were to come out of my mouth. I could never say the words. Why? I do not believe that God makes mistakes! I believe we are all different for a reason and purpose that only God knows.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog.
Hi this is such a sad story and i hear more and more of these stories from couples. I am about to study masters in genetic counselling..i am also a christian and pro- life. I intend to work in the capacity of saving lives not encouraging death. I believe God has a hand on the future and how things in this field will turn around. I promise i would never use a video of such to show anyone with a possible downs syndrome child.
ReplyDelete