What is Digg?360 Comments
- malarkeystone, on 03/09/2008, -10/+146There's something wrong with purposefully giving a child a disadvantage. These parents are sick.
- dtele, on 03/09/2008, -9/+135Where do you stop this ?
I knew a girl a while ago who wanted a Down syndrome baby - she was a bit simple herself, but she figured that it would love her forever. - AaronCo, on 03/09/2008, -9/+124Deaf or no, these parents obviously want a kid that cannot live a normal life. They want their kid to be disabled... how screwed up is that? What kind of screwball parents go "oh sure, I don't want my kid to have a better life than me!" anyway? That child would be better raised by wolves.
- dotlizard, on 03/09/2008, -12/+100headline made me think they preferred a deaf child. that's a big difference from not wanting to discard an embryo that would be born deaf. and i think they should have every right NOT to discard an embryo. having rules about which embryos to discard is very arbitrary, don't you think?
- Al89, on 03/09/2008, -10/+93Why not have a hearing child and glue their ears shut? Then they can unglue them when their stupid parents die
- DeadlyCouncil, on 03/09/2008, -3/+82Hooray for perpetuating genetic defects? I've known plenty of deaf people, most with awesome personalities (and a few were actually really big douche bags) but I always ALWAYS feel bad for them whenever I listen to music. Its just one thing I could never imagine is being deaf
- DesertDude, on 03/09/2008, -8/+74At first it might seem selfless and compassionate, but it's hard to think of a more selfish act. They want to satisfy *their* emotions by having this deaf child, but they gave 0% thought of the troubles this child would face later on in life. In the name of humanity, please prevent those ***** from procreating.
- MajorOutage, on 03/09/2008, -3/+56Throwing away an embryo because it's deaf is wrong to begin with. This just takes it to a whole new level.
WANTING your own child to be disabled? WTF kind of parents do they think they're going to be?
They're just as closed-minded as the people they think they're fighting against. - Ryan0617, on 03/09/2008, -9/+58Honestly, im hard of hearing, and i think it would be wrong to want a deaf child. I personally think the moment we start to choose the sex of the baby, what colour eyes it will have, strong genes etc, i think its too far. We should just let nature take its course.
Sure in a ideal world we'll all be 6ft, disease-life-free and the strongest specimens in the world, but we cant always have want we want. Its a real shame people tend to think this way nowadays. - Zera, on 03/09/2008, -1/+46Yea, I often think that in cases like this, the parents defend this, not because they are proud of being a "linguistic minority" (but I don't doubt there are a few very neat aspects of that) but because they think that if they DON'T defend it, then they are saying that their disability has limited their lives, and restricted their own human experience in some negative way. If they don't defend it, then it's like admitting their ailment makes them lesser, and noone wants to do that.
It's all very sad, but a worse story than this that a friend of mine studied in med school is where certain children born to deaf parents are born deaf, but the deafness is correctable with a few minor surgeries when the child is young. Even donated medical care is often aggressively opposed by some parents. I am fine with an adult deciding for themselves to remain deaf, but if these surgeries can only fix the disability when the child is young, then I start to think that resisting the procedure is tantamount to child abuse. I still think it's the parents' right, and not the government's, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. - BarleyWind, on 03/09/2008, -2/+41It's not a parents' right to cripple their children.
- fluffythekitten, on 03/09/2008, -3/+40if they'd love it not as much as a deaf one, they'd be hypocrites!
how can they demand being treated equal when they would withhold love from a healthy(!) baby...
and yes: there are objective criteria for being born with impairments or not - if you force your child to have an impairment its whole life long without having been able to consent or not - YOU ARE SICK! - aaapples, on 03/09/2008, -3/+39If you want ANOTHER deaf kid then you can ***** adopt one. Selfish pricks.
- cfuse, on 03/09/2008, -2/+35You don't give other people birth defects just because it validates your own existence - how selfish.
- Yotaru, on 03/09/2008, -5/+34If he curses will they wash his hands with soap?
- dstz, on 03/09/2008, -2/+29Deafness is a disability, and artificial procreation tries to screen disabilities out. It's not up to parents to say what is and what is not a disability. That society recognize that disabled people aren't any less human than anybody is not a free pass to get all the paraplegic children science can give you.
- inactive, on 03/09/2008, -7/+32On the one hand I understand what they're saying. On the other hand, it's not the embryos fault for being born normal.
- LordVance, on 03/09/2008, -3/+27That is not the same thing at all Mr. Straw Man.
- remnantsofjune, on 03/09/2008, -1/+25How in the world can you wish deafness upon anybody? Especially your child. These people really need to get a wake up call. They should think about all the inconveniences it has bought them, and then second guess their cruel hopes.
- aethelberga, on 03/09/2008, -4/+28I got the impression that, by having their second child through IVF, it wouldn't be just about not throwing out a deaf embryo, but deliberately choosing a deaf embryo and throwing the rest out, i.e. throwing out a healthy child. Is this not just as much discrimination?
- joebaloney, on 03/09/2008, -3/+26"Would you like lobster claws or a non-lobster claw baby?"
- diggydoc, on 03/09/2008, -2/+24oh nice. so when child asks, " mommy, why i'm a deaf?" the parents can proudly say, "because we wanted you to be!"
- inactive, on 03/09/2008, -1/+23no one chooses their parents. Basically, someone is going to be made deaf because of the cruel choice of some random idiot who happens to be their parent. if someone used a date rape drug on you an then performed an irreversibly damaging surgery that left you deaf, how would you feel? i imagine you would rather that not have happened.
- dmbchris, on 03/09/2008, -2/+22Here is a plan - have a kid with hearing. As soon as he is able to choose for himself, say 17, hand him and ice pick and ask him if he really wants those pesky things on the side of his head. $10 says he doesn't stab them out.
- HonestAbe, on 03/09/2008, -1/+20This isn't about the majority forcing their views on the parents and restricting their rights.
It's about the majority preventing the parents from restricting the rights of the child. - jarablue, on 03/09/2008, -10/+29But the thing is they don't want to discard an embryo that is a deaf embryo. Tell them that they have a choice between to not discard a deaf embryo vs a normal one. It's sickening. Maybe I don't want to discard a down syndrome embryo because I have down syndrome. Please don't pancake this crap. They want a deaf child because they are deaf. They are twisting words and creating new ground via loopholes so they can have a deaf baby and have the world question it. They are deaf and want a deaf child. Sugar coat the ***** however you want. They are scum. But the baby wouldn't be here and it'd be happy for the life it has. Yeah? Would you like me to elaborate on that ***** sugar coat as well?
- cliffzdude, on 03/09/2008, -0/+18In Vitro involves a *few* eggs getting fertilized. Usually there are a few viable ones, they pick the best. Parents aren't allowed to pick disabilities of any type they think should go in the "ok" pile. The most viable embryos are chosen, and those with any genetic abnormalities are discarded. Odds-wise, if they pick up on one abnormality its less likely to turn into a viable pregnancy.
Sure, its fun for the media to NOT speak with some docs and get the straight poop, but then' it'd be a 2 sentence story and wouldn't make Digg. - Rulz1234, on 03/09/2008, -8/+24there is no where you just stop if you go down this path. The way i see it is they shouldent be alowed to do it however! the kid when they turn 16 should be allowed the option to do any of the following wear ear plugs, get surgery, or stick a pen in his ear if he or she decides that they want to be deaf. The perants should not get the choice the child should be when they are ready.
- Squidly1, on 03/09/2008, -0/+15I believe to purposefully disable an unborn child is tantamount to abuse. I see an adverse prenatal alteration no differently than those who refuse to change their damaging habits (addictions, abuse, etc) once they hear of the impending development and birth of their own child (men as well as women). To willfully chose to put a life-long limitation on another person should be unthinkable. Besides, JUST because a child might be born "fully" functional does not preclude him/her from fully participating in the culture and language of the parent. Look at other families with hearing impaired members - are there huge divides in those families or any loss of love?
Plus, whomever suggested that persons with Down's Syndrome are not already people needs to drop that crack pipe. - kiwimonk, on 03/09/2008, -1/+16I'd tell them no, it's not okay.. But I doubt they'd listen.
- dawglse, on 03/09/2008, -3/+18when I read the title I thought they wanted to adopt a deaf child...
- cdstewart, on 03/09/2008, -5/+19I'm looking for a child with complete anencephaly. I think it will love me the most when it doesn't have a brain. I'll also be able to use it for spare parts when we both get older.
- adamclif, on 03/09/2008, -2/+16Yes, we should stop them.
- RaDeus, on 03/09/2008, -4/+18child abuse...
- shaun1018, on 03/09/2008, -5/+18please don't reproduce.
- betterth, on 03/09/2008, -4/+17No, it's not about an open mind. It's not a skin color, or a religion.
It's a disability. There's a reason there are pages pertaining to deafness on www.ada.gov (Americans with Disability Act).
They have learned to live with their impairment, and that's good for them. If their acceptance of their body has caused them to forego possible new fixes for their deafness, if such a treatment were created, than that is their decision.
But you cannot justify aborting healthy babies for the sole purpose of bringing a disabled baby into the world. I feel it's not an appropriate abortion and is exactly the ***** conservatives whine about when they're on their anti-abortion tirades. - Goldbricker, on 03/09/2008, -3/+15I agree with you, but the whole point is in this screwy deaf world they think they're some kind of oppressed minority and don't view themselves as disabled.
- Millsee, on 03/09/2008, -2/+14***** me... humans can be really wrong sometimes..
Celebrating that a child is deaf is sick.
End of story. - pyro789x, on 03/09/2008, -3/+14And then every time the child asks their parents why they can't hear like all the other kids, and why the parents won't unglue their ears, they can tell the child, "you're that way because we want you that way, because we care about our deaf agenda more than your health and happiness." It seems to me that somebody that puts their own agenda before the well being of their children are not good candidates for parents in the first place and the moment they pick a deaf child over a hearing one for that reason they should be disqualified from the procedure.
- blackjack75, on 03/09/2008, -1/+12FTA: "'Being deaf is not about being disabled, or medically incomplete - it's about being part of a linguistic minority. We're proud, not of the medical aspect of deafness, but of the language we use and the community we live in.'"
These guys are in complete denial. They are implying a child with no disability couldn't learn the signs language. Yes being deaf is a handicap. Just like having no legs is. Maybe you're going to be a great pianist using only your hands but you could be that same guy even if you could touch the pedals. - buddamus, on 03/09/2008, -1/+12I can't imagine why the other kids pick on lobster boy, hes so sweet
- adrianmonk, on 03/09/2008, -1/+12The really sad thing about this is the parents' reasoning for doing such things. It's almost exactly the same reasoning as parents who don't want their kids to marry a kid of some other race or nationality: it's xenophobia. What has happened here is that deaf people (some of them) have essentially turned into their own ethnic group. The weird thing is that the marker that identifies you as a member of the ethnic group is also a disability. So (some) people want their kids to be members of their own ethnic group, and therefore they must continue to have the disability.
- inactive, on 03/09/2008, -9/+19Yeah because bringing an impaired child to the world just so you can feel better about your own disability is totally humane...
- tazx, on 03/09/2008, -2/+12No, when you use IVF, there are many embryos created. Only one typically is implanted; the others never grow into babies.
The medically ethical option is to choose that embryo that is the healthiest: free of foreseeable diseases and disabilities.
If you have one that appears perfectly healthy, and one that is deaf, mute, and blind, choosing the disabled one because it is "more like you" is an unconscionable imposition on the future child. You're sentencing it to a more difficult life, and placing a burden on the rest of society to support it. - steeeeve, on 03/09/2008, -1/+10If i discovered, my child had abilities, that i do not have, i would find it great.
I think those people are afraid, that their child will leave their social environment as an adult. Many are afraid of that, but it is the way the world works. Children become independent adults who make their own choices. These parents try to put a limit on those choices and i think it is in order to have their children stay close to them. - Marshalrusty, on 03/09/2008, -2/+11What matters is which one they keep, not which ones they throw away. I can understand parents who want their kids to be similar to themselves, but purposely giving them a disadvantage is crossing a line.
I'm not saying that all deaf babies should be aborted, but you have to consider the wishes of the child they are choosing to have deaf. Imagine that child eventually finds out that he/she is dead on purpose. What would you think?
If the parents want a deaf child, then there are plenty of deaf children up for adoption. - fusen, on 03/09/2008, -8/+17if they had a child that had full hearing would they love it the same way as they would if they had a deaf child? If not then I don't see the issue.
- condeh, on 03/09/2008, -2/+11"As they will tell you, a deaf person can do anything a hearing person can do, except hear. "
And a blind person can do everything a seeing person can, except see...
And a lame person can do everything a mobile person can, except walk....
They are "functionally crippled" (although I dislike that terminology) - A deaf person is missing a sense of hearing, that is a key function.
And are the Deaf really able to be proud of their language, culture and heritage? The whole point, I thought, is that whether deaf or no, we are all the same, and so a british Deaf has the same language, culture and heritage of myself, a hearing Brit. Its very frustrating, in my opinion, that we put a lot of effort in to overcoming prejudice and what not, and then be told that, well actually, We are different, and don't want to be included.... - aaapples, on 03/09/2008, -1/+9Also, we should kidnap their existing child, fix her hearing, and then return her.
- Qumahlin, on 03/09/2008, -5/+13"The child is destined to be deaf", yes if it is born, in this case the child isn't going to be born unless the parents say "yes cultivate that embryo". I hate to break it to you, but during the IVF process many other embryos will be discarded for many other reasons. You saying "They are basically saying it's better to never have been born than to be born deaf" is so wrong and misleading its laughable.
Get over it people, birth is not a miracle, its a biological process. Stop treating it as miracle ***** and open your eyes. I don't see people like you crying everytime you eat a hamburger, or step on an ant and if you want to be logical those animals have every right to live the same as your precious UNBORN embryo -
Show 51 - 100 of 357 discussions
The Digg Toolbar for Firefox lets you Digg, submit content, and keep track of Digg even when you're not on the Digg site. Download the official 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is