Just in time for autistic pride day!

[conuly]

Doctors want to screen out embryos with autism

I rather thought that we weren't near this point yet...? At any rate, it's a very frightening thought.

Comments

[maelorin]

Pity we can't retroactively abort certain kinds of people ... easier than getting them past their prejudices.

[maelorin]

AFAIK it's by no means certain that all the genetic factors have been identified, let alone isolated.

Given that i'm autistic, but 99% of people have no idea, I'm not sure that being able to say - "you have gene AUTISM-A" - or whatever is much more than an idicator.

Besides, as I have said many times before - we have no idea what co-morbid/associated genetic factors might prove to be valuable to humanity in the future. And that's not considering the benefits to society provided by Aspies and their like. When the Neuties let us.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

The whole thing is pointless besides being stupid. They said genetic autism is only 10% of cases. If it's in someone's family history (or even if it's not) and they are *that* against having an autistic child, they should adopt an older kid. Otherwise, there's no guarantee.

[mortaine.livejournal.com]

Ah, but could you imagine a world in which mothers wouldn't get any sympathy for killing their autistic children because they knew what they were in for? [warning, following comments are a bit facetious.]

And this could actually help prove the environmental factors that may cause autism-- prove whether they really exist or don't.

I have no problems with people being able to select the embryo they want to carry to term. It's natural selection, taken to the next degree. Especially since we cannot select post-birth without serious moral and legal consequences.

But then also imagine the kind of people who would willingly carry a known autistic child to term. Either they'd be the kind of compassionate folks who the world would want raising a child with special needs... or they'd be the kind of people who see "autism" and think "silent victim." Or they see "autism" and think "disability check." Actually, this sound like a good setup for a sci fi story....

[conuly]

Or they'd be autistic people who simply prefer to be around autistics, and would relate better to an autistic kid.

It's not natural selection. Natural selection is having the people with the useful genes ending up with more kids than the people with the non-useful genes.

This is human-decided selection, which is something different altogether.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I see this issue and I think of the Deaf lesbian couple who specifically sought out a congenitally deaf sperm donor to give their children the best odds of being deaf.

I agree with Mortaine. In part because I don't think it would eliminate autism. There would be people who specifically aim for kids on the spectrum, mainly people on the spectrum themselves. And if it's okay for them to do that, I also think it's okay for people to aim away from it. I'm kind of okay with parents trying to have children that they feel better suited toward raising. Just so long as they accept the child they get. Trying is no guarantee. I intend to aim for the kind of kids I want, but I'll accept what I get.

[maelorin]

Pity we can't retroactively abort certain kinds of people ... easier than getting them past their prejudices.

[maelorin]

AFAIK it's by no means certain that all the genetic factors have been identified, let alone isolated.

Given that i'm autistic, but 99% of people have no idea, I'm not sure that being able to say - "you have gene AUTISM-A" - or whatever is much more than an idicator.

Besides, as I have said many times before - we have no idea what co-morbid/associated genetic factors might prove to be valuable to humanity in the future. And that's not considering the benefits to society provided by Aspies and their like. When the Neuties let us.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

The whole thing is pointless besides being stupid. They said genetic autism is only 10% of cases. If it's in someone's family history (or even if it's not) and they are *that* against having an autistic child, they should adopt an older kid. Otherwise, there's no guarantee.

[mortaine.livejournal.com]

Ah, but could you imagine a world in which mothers wouldn't get any sympathy for killing their autistic children because they knew what they were in for? [warning, following comments are a bit facetious.]

And this could actually help prove the environmental factors that may cause autism-- prove whether they really exist or don't.

I have no problems with people being able to select the embryo they want to carry to term. It's natural selection, taken to the next degree. Especially since we cannot select post-birth without serious moral and legal consequences.

But then also imagine the kind of people who would willingly carry a known autistic child to term. Either they'd be the kind of compassionate folks who the world would want raising a child with special needs... or they'd be the kind of people who see "autism" and think "silent victim." Or they see "autism" and think "disability check." Actually, this sound like a good setup for a sci fi story....

[conuly]

Or they'd be autistic people who simply prefer to be around autistics, and would relate better to an autistic kid.

It's not natural selection. Natural selection is having the people with the useful genes ending up with more kids than the people with the non-useful genes.

This is human-decided selection, which is something different altogether.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I see this issue and I think of the Deaf lesbian couple who specifically sought out a congenitally deaf sperm donor to give their children the best odds of being deaf.

I agree with Mortaine. In part because I don't think it would eliminate autism. There would be people who specifically aim for kids on the spectrum, mainly people on the spectrum themselves. And if it's okay for them to do that, I also think it's okay for people to aim away from it. I'm kind of okay with parents trying to have children that they feel better suited toward raising. Just so long as they accept the child they get. Trying is no guarantee. I intend to aim for the kind of kids I want, but I'll accept what I get.