To Parent, or not to Parent
The role of a parent is to selflessly care for, protect and raise each child to enjoy a happy, healthy safe and fulfilling life. Arguably, this responsibility starts at the very moment that a prospective parent considers having children and governs all the decisions made from that point forward. All decisions, starting perhaps even with choices of sexual partners, should be considered and the long term implications that they may have on the future child’s well being. So when faced with the knowledge of hight potential risk of a pregnancy that might result in a baby with Fragile X, a new set of decisions must be considered and the duties of parenthood weighed well in advance of a pregnancy. Given a high potential …show more content…
It is the most common inherited source of intellectual and developmental disability. According to the FraXa Fragile X Foundation website, some of the symptoms of Fragile X include: intellectual disabilities, ranging from mild to severe; attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety and unstable mood, autistic behaviors, sensory integration problems, such as hypersensitivity to loud noises or bright lights, speech delay, with expressive language more severely affected than receptive language, and seizures (epilepsy) that affect about 25% of people with Fragile X. In addition to the issues described above, there are also physical affects from the condition including a long face, large prominent ears, flat feet, hyperextensible joints, especially fingers, low muscle tone, and - in males - large testes after puberty. They effects of the condition are particularly severe for boys compared to Girls. While most boys have mental retardation, only one-third to one-half of girls suffer from significant intellectual challenges; the rest have either normal IQ or learning disabilities with Math comprehension often being an issue for girls. Emotional and behavioral problems are common in both sexes. About 30% of boys with fragile X meet full criteria for autism. Most boys and some girls have some symptoms of autism, but many tend to be very social and interested in other people. …show more content…
That is the role that each parent should play for their child or children. Fulfilling that duty involves a commitment to protecting them. So while the role of prenatal test is important for those at risk who find themselves pregnant, under the circumstances, it seems to be a last line of defense intended to end life not enable it. Regardless of religious or moral belief system it is a test that exists to identify specifically whether or not a termination of a fetus, a potential life, should be considered – but considered after conception -- not before. Preimplantation screening, on the other hand, exists to prevent an ill-advised conception of a new life. While there are certainly ethical traps that parents can be exposed to when considering testing of preimplantation embryos, these issues can be easily managed by observing social, community and religious norms. It also puts the parent in their intended role of “protector” of a better life. The choice to forgo such testing and to proceed with pregnancy -- knowing all along that there is a risk -- suggests the opposite and potentially places the parent in the role of “destroyer” instead. When a parent knows that there is a risk of Fragile X, it’s easier to justify the preimplantation screening option to avoid having a child with Fragile X. The decision is not being made so that a parent can preselect a gender or a set of qualities. Rather they are seeking to assess risk of a lifetime of
The role of a parent is to selflessly care for, protect and raise each child to enjoy a happy, healthy safe and fulfilling life. Arguably, this responsibility starts at the very moment that a prospective parent considers having children and governs all the decisions made from that point forward. All decisions, starting perhaps even with choices of sexual partners, should be considered and the long term implications that they may have on the future child’s well being. So when faced with the knowledge of hight potential risk of a pregnancy that might result in a baby with Fragile X, a new set of decisions must be considered and the duties of parenthood weighed well in advance of a pregnancy. Given a high potential …show more content…
It is the most common inherited source of intellectual and developmental disability. According to the FraXa Fragile X Foundation website, some of the symptoms of Fragile X include: intellectual disabilities, ranging from mild to severe; attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety and unstable mood, autistic behaviors, sensory integration problems, such as hypersensitivity to loud noises or bright lights, speech delay, with expressive language more severely affected than receptive language, and seizures (epilepsy) that affect about 25% of people with Fragile X. In addition to the issues described above, there are also physical affects from the condition including a long face, large prominent ears, flat feet, hyperextensible joints, especially fingers, low muscle tone, and - in males - large testes after puberty. They effects of the condition are particularly severe for boys compared to Girls. While most boys have mental retardation, only one-third to one-half of girls suffer from significant intellectual challenges; the rest have either normal IQ or learning disabilities with Math comprehension often being an issue for girls. Emotional and behavioral problems are common in both sexes. About 30% of boys with fragile X meet full criteria for autism. Most boys and some girls have some symptoms of autism, but many tend to be very social and interested in other people. …show more content…
That is the role that each parent should play for their child or children. Fulfilling that duty involves a commitment to protecting them. So while the role of prenatal test is important for those at risk who find themselves pregnant, under the circumstances, it seems to be a last line of defense intended to end life not enable it. Regardless of religious or moral belief system it is a test that exists to identify specifically whether or not a termination of a fetus, a potential life, should be considered – but considered after conception -- not before. Preimplantation screening, on the other hand, exists to prevent an ill-advised conception of a new life. While there are certainly ethical traps that parents can be exposed to when considering testing of preimplantation embryos, these issues can be easily managed by observing social, community and religious norms. It also puts the parent in their intended role of “protector” of a better life. The choice to forgo such testing and to proceed with pregnancy -- knowing all along that there is a risk -- suggests the opposite and potentially places the parent in the role of “destroyer” instead. When a parent knows that there is a risk of Fragile X, it’s easier to justify the preimplantation screening option to avoid having a child with Fragile X. The decision is not being made so that a parent can preselect a gender or a set of qualities. Rather they are seeking to assess risk of a lifetime of