[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
[quote]Sifu wrote:
[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
[quote]Sifu wrote:
Brother Chris you really should have read the article before you posted this and spared us the hyperbole.[/quote]
Lol. You should really read my post before you posted this as you would have been spared the hyperbole. However, if the courts do go through with the decision the title will be apt. One of my predictions about the culture of death (if left unchecked) in America is that it will lead to forced abortions for certain underrepresented and underprivileged citizens.
[quote]Your thread title is very misleading. You make it appear that an abortion has already been ordered when that is not the case.
After reading the article I have learned that the the mother to be is herself an Fetal Alcohol Syndrome baby who was born severely brain damaged. She doesn’t have all her faculties and she is on anti epileptic seizure meds. Since the woman is not capable of making such decisions for herself the court is involved.
I know someone who suffers from grand mal epileptic seizures and has to take anti seizure meds. These are very powerful drugs that target the brain. No one who has all their faculties would just get pregnant while on those meds without consulting with a doctor and making any necessary adjustments to their medication or going off the meds altogether. This is because epileptics have a higher risk of complications from pregnancy and epileptic anti seizure meds can cause severe birth defects.
Given the facts I don’t think it is unreasonable that they would have a hearing to decide what is going to happen. [/quote]
So you’re down with killing innocent people because they have mental problems and severe birth defects. [/quote]
There are inherent risks and complications that can happen to a pregnant woman who has epilepsy. A seizure while pregnant can be dangerous to the mother or the baby. Even worse is the anti seizure meds can cause severe birth defects, especially if she is on a high dose at the time of conception. That is why a woman who has all her faculties will consult with her doctor and take necessary steps to minimize the risks to herself and the baby such as reducing or adjusting her medication.
The woman in this case does not have all her faculties and is not capable of making her own decisions. That is why the court is involved. It is an unfortunate situation that would not have happened if the woman had the mental capacity to be a responsible adult.
Here is an article on the dangers of just one of the drugs that are used in combination to prevent seizures. This is why the court has to consider what to do about her pregnancy.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/09/us-defects-epilepsy-idUSTRE6586B920100609
(Reuters Health) - The safety of a popular drug for seizures took another hit Wednesday when researchers pinned a handful of major birth defects on the medication.
Earlier research had shown that taking Depakote (valproate) during pregnancy might lower the baby’s IQ and lead to deformities in up to one in ten cases. (See Reuters Health story April 16, 2009.)
Scientists have long known about one of these malformations, called spina bifida, in which the fetus’ spinal column doesn’t close properly. But it was unclear whether the drug was linked to other birth defects, such as heart problems or extra short limbs.
Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, European researchers report an increased risk of six different birth defects in babies whose mothers took Depakote during their first trimester of pregnancy.
The odds of spina bifida, for instance, were more than 12 times higher in these babies compared to those whose mothers didn’t take epilepsy drugs. Abnormal skull development, cleft palate, holes in the heart’s walls, extra fingers or toes, smaller limbs, and urinary problems were also more frequent in the Depakote group, with odds increased up to seven times.
No I’m not down with killing people because they have mental problems or birth defects. But I do think that having children is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Getting pregnant while on a combination of medications that are likely to cause you to have a retarded flipper baby who will have no quality of life and be a burden on everyone who has to pay for it’s care is irresponsible and it’s not fair either. [/quote]
So you’re cool with killing retarded flipper baby who has no quality of life and is a burden on everyone?
The fact that there is six couples willing to adopt the baby obvious is not an issue, of course.[/quote]
I think that if in the first or second trimester you know that that you are going to produce a flipper baby who is going to spend it’s entire existence as a spastic in a wheel chair with a dribble cup under it’s chin, then maybe the most compassionate thing you can do is terminate the pregnancy.
I do know that there are people who were born whole and healthy who have ended up like that, who want to or have ended it all. The reason why they choose to end it all is because living like that is not living a life, it’s living an existence. An existence of one meaningless day after another waiting for the end, which will be a welcome release.
Do you actually have some data to back up your “fact” that there are six couples willing to adopt a severely deformed baby? I find that hard to believe considering the fact that there are a lot of healthy kids in the adoption system who will never get adopted merely because they are too old and most people only want to adopt babies.
Maybe I’m wrong though. Perhaps retarded flipper babies are in really high demand. I can see how adopting one would give an adoptive couple the opportunity to play the martyr by showing everyone how selfless and compassionate they are by taking on such a burden. The reality however is that forcing someone to live such a meaningless existence so you can show how selfless you are by taking care of them is very selfish.