If you knew within the first week of pregnancy that your baby would have....

[Space05us]

.....an autoimmune disease or a gene that predisposed them to a certain cancer would you terminate the pregnancy?

Why, why not?


I don't think I would be able to do it (as if it were even my choice ). I don't believe that anyone has the right to decide whether or not someone else should die, 1 cell on it's way to being a crack dealer/child molester is still a human to me and still deserves it's chance at life.

[Elok]

Eh. Wait until the kid's old enough to make an informed decision, then give him a gun and tell him he can end it all if he so chooses. I'm pro-choice in that respect.

[Traianvs]

Depends on the severity. If the kid is predisposed to have breast cancer or prostate cancer then I wouldn't terminate, because many people have it, and it's perfectly treatable if the body is well monitored over the years.

If it's some terrible autoimmune disease that screws up the few years the kid will have left on this world, then it's terminator time.

It's usually not as clear-cut as I described here just now, but most cases will be pretty clear I believe.

Other than that, I simply wouldn't have kids. There's plenty of them crawling towards that inevitable death on this planet anyway. Don't need more $-leeches.

[SlowwHand]

No. Knowing it would make it a little easier to fight.

[dannubis]

I wouldn't... but I would never take away another woman's right to decide what she would do.

Freedom's a ***** right?

[Nikolai]

I wouldn't. It would be my kid, whatever the disease. But it would of course ultimately be a decision my girl would take, although I'd hope we'd some common ground on the matter to begin with.

[b etor]

never.

[onodera]

If he or she would become one of those bald kids in face masks, then yes.

[Blaupanzer]

Hell, it's hard to tell a woman's even pregnant in the first week of pregnancy. I am in favor of leaving this up to the potential mother since any law against abortion would be almost impossible to enforce. My choice would be to support her choice if she even bothered to ask. My wife's well past that point, hence my comment about being asked.

[Ben Kenobi]

No, I wouldn't.

If a child dies due to illness or disability that is one thing. Quite another to kill the child because she may be ill or disabled some time in the future.

[-Jrabbit]

No way.

[Zkribbler]

Probably not.

I would have to be sure that the baby's life wouldn't be worth living. Although both autoimmune diseases and a predisposition towards cancer are serious, without more, I couldn't say that the baby's life wouldn't be worth living. Any err has to be on the side of life.

At least with a living adult, that person can tell you that they want to die. Euthenasia, if legalized, would be a much easier choice.

[Nugog]

No.

[Sirotnikov]

depends on the severity.

if a child could not lead a normal life, and would mostly suffer, it may be better unborn.

if it's a condition but could allow normalcy and quality of life for a long enough period, then i wouldn't terminate it.