Cure for Down syndrome?

Scientists have figured out how to deactivate the material in the chromosome that leads to Down's.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/could-it-be-cure-breakthrough-prompts-down-syndrome-soul-searching-6C10879213

Some of the quotes are pretty powerful, especially by those who say the world is better with those afflicted with Down's.

I just think, Why would we want anyone to be born that way if we can prevent it?

 

What really strikes me is how many diseases, syndromes, conditions, disorders and other medical questions might be solved in the near future.

There are a ton of questions about this, but I think we are really on the edge of a myriad of medical breakthroughs.

 

No way. Too much money to be made in treating people and not curing them.

 

That's incredible; seems the ethical questions are more in "curing" people that have lived with Down's for decades and how removing that chromosome might change them? Curing a child, especially a newborn, seems like no question at all to me.

 

You just see this on Family Guy tonight??

 

This is a very interesting story. And as odd as it would seem to most of us, a large core of the population believes in accepting babies the way God made them. This belief extends to no prenatal screening.

 

The point LTL makes about prenatal screeniing is a good one.

My wife and I had major issues conceiving and carrying a bay to term. When the options came for the testing on our first child we did all the screening. I realized afterward that we would not have aborted had their been issues.

On our second child we did not bother with the screening.


I am solidly pro choice and not religous, just knew for us that we would take what we were given.

 

You spend 3/4ths of every waking second trying to convince yourself that it's not that bad and maybe it's even a good thing. What do you expect parents to say? "Man, it sure would be great if my kid were completely different than the way he is."

 

Polio and smallpox agree.

 

My wife said she would have the abortion and we would try again if that happened. Honestly, what do you say? You're going to have the child anyway?

 

Personal choices aside, this is fascinating medicine and it'll be interesting to watch where it goes.

 

No question... I think having a cure out there might have the potential to change this a bit. I know a lot of people who bypass the screenings because "they're not going to do anything about it anyways..." but when an abortion isn't the end game, I think some would start having the test... Obviously, there will always be some who don't... That's on them...