You know, it is an odd phenomenon. I was thinking about the implication. We said no to the idea of screening for VHL on our little girl and if you’ve read my whole blog you’ll know we made that decision long long before this little one came into being. But what does it mean in a wider context? It has implications for everyone. So many diseases and syndromes have genetic implications; could it get to a time when if you refuse to have a general genetic text then your children could be refused health care? Could it be the case that if you make the choice to go au natural then your child would be disadvantaged by your stance. And then I wonder to myself. If someone offered to engineer this little person growing inside me a way of ensuring she were VHL free would I take it? If they could of it to me would I? Ummm yes. I think so. I’m not 100% sure. Just something on my mind. Seems lots of people are thinking about it.
Thought provoking. However, I've always said that I wouldn't change a thing about Steven. We had no idea about this disease until the 16th year of his life, and we have no idea what the future holds for him. But he is so special and such a sweet, kind, intelligent young man, that I'm really glad that I didn't have choices about genetic engineering or anything of the such before he was born.
ReplyDeleteI know that I don't have tons of perspective since we're just beginning this journey. But it just seems to me that sometimes you have to take the good and the bad together.
Most of my friends who have had kids have had screening for the normal things. What these are I can't remember and have never needed to know first hand as I've never been in the spot of having a partner who is expecting. If the time ever comes I think I'll be there for scanning for everything known to man in the hope of giving the little fella the best chance in life. If those scans ever showed anything up, I've no idea how I'd respond then. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Sometimes it's better to know.
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