Autism or Death - The life of your child.

[The Lizard Queen]

Gonna put this in Deep Thoughts in the vain hope that it may actually get a real conversation going, because i'm curious how most Kiwi's would answer these questions. So here goes...

2 scenarios. What would you do in either of these situations? What factors might make you change your decision? Would your answers be different if it was happening to someone you knew instead, like a friend or family member?

Scenario 1.
You are having your first child. After a few months you go to the doctor and get the fetus tested. After the tests, the doctor tells you that the child will almost certainly develop with low-functioning autism (AKA: the kind where the child may become violent, self harm, be non-verbal, or need constant care for the rest of their life). However, there is an abortion clinic nearby willing to do late term abortions. Do you abort the child and hope that your next child might turn out better, or deliver it, knowing that you will likely have to take care of your adult child until you go to a nursing home, and that it will never have a normal life?

Scenario 2.
Your first child was born several months ago, but it starts acting strange. You take them to the doctor for a scan, and the doctor tells you the child has a rare brain condition that has a 60% chance to kill them before the year is over. It can be cured, but the cure has a very high chance of causing the child to develop low-functioning autism.
Do you take the risk? Or maybe it's best to let nature take its course with this one?

 

[Beaniebon]

This is kind of hard to say. I personally plan on adopting kids around age 1/2, but hypothetically. . .

You are having your first child. After a few months you go to the doctor and get the fetus tested. After the tests, the doctor tells you that the child will almost certainly develop with low-functioning autism (AKA: the kind where the child may become violent, self harm, be non-verbal, or need constant care for the rest of their life). However, there is an abortion clinic nearby willing to do late term abortions. Do you abort the child and hope that your next child might turn out better, or deliver it, knowing that you will likely have to take care of your adult child until you go to a nursing home, and that it will never have a normal life?

Depends on how late. Three or four months I would abort, but if it's like 8 or 9 I'm not sure; I can't help but bring in my feels. Obviously it'd be hard to let this baby go at that point. In this case I'd talk to my partner and doctor about their opinions. If my husband was leaning towards abort, I don't want to bring in a needy child that he would, consciously or subconsciously, view as too much of a hassle he'd rather have been aborted. Obviously, if my doctor suggested I terminate the pregnancy I'd do it. If there is something that severely wrong with the child, there will be other complications that may put my life in danger as well.

Your first child was born several months ago, but it starts acting strange. You take them to the doctor for a scan, and the doctor tells you the child has a rare brain condition that has a 80% chance to kill them before the year is over. It can be cured, but the cure has a 90% chance of causing the child to develop low-functioning autism.
Do you take the risk? Or maybe it's best to let nature take its course with this one?

They're already alive, it would be hard to just watch them die. I think I'd take the chance and make their life as good as it can be in the state they end up being in. they'd likely be sickly on top of low functioning if the medicine and disease caused brain damage. They might not live that long regardless.

 

[AnOminous]

Gonna put this in Deep Thoughts in the vain hope that it may actually get a real conversation going, because i'm curious how most Kiwi's would answer these questions. So here goes...

2 scenarios. What would you do in either of these situations? What factors might make you change your decision? Would your answers be different if it was happening to someone you knew instead, like a friend or family member?

Scenario 1.
You are having your first child. After a few months you go to the doctor and get the fetus tested. After the tests, the doctor tells you that the child will almost certainly develop with low-functioning autism (AKA: the kind where the child may become violent, self harm, be non-verbal, or need constant care for the rest of their life). However, there is an abortion clinic nearby willing to do late term abortions. Do you abort the child and hope that your next child might turn out better, or deliver it, knowing that you will likely have to take care of your adult child until you go to a nursing home, and that it will never have a normal life?

Scenario 2.
Your first child was born several months ago, but it starts acting strange. You take them to the doctor for a scan, and the doctor tells you the child has a rare brain condition that has a 80% chance to kill them before the year is over. It can be cured, but the cure has a 90% chance of causing the child to develop low-functioning autism.
Do you take the risk? Or maybe it's best to let nature take its course with this one?

There's also Scenario 3 where you suck my dick.

 

[FuckStrickland]

Kill it.
Why the fuck would you torture a child by letting it live in a world it can't understand?
Sparta had it right.

 

[ICametoLurk]

So anti-vaccine debate?

 

[DuskEngine]

Give me autism or give me death.

 

[DumbDosh]

1. Abort

2. Let nature take its course.

Or the best option above everything else

3. Don't ever have kids.

 

[Drawets Rednaxela]

Death

 

[Picklepower]

Abort, no one cares about the mentally disabled.

 

[OwO What's This?]

my autism makes me strong

 

[Cable 7]

Lets be real. No one likes autistic children. I mean, they get better if they're not super autistic and they're raised by decent parents. But they usually end up as detriments to society.
Death.

 

[AA 102]

Scenario 1
I'd abort the baby and try again.

Scenario 2
I'd give my child the treatment. If they don't get autism then yay, if they do then I'd perform a mercy killing.

 

[DatBepisTho]

Abort and let nature take its course.

It can't really be considered living at all when you're an ill-tempered, slightly more mobile than a full on vegetable. And a threat to yourself, I might add.

 

[BT 075]

Scenario 7: Have many children, and when they reach the age of 18 you have them fight in the arena to the death. The strongest child survives and carries on your family name, allowing your House to live on forever. This child will be allowed to enter the gates of Valhalla.

 

[c-no]

Scenario 7: Have many children, and when they reach the age of 18 you have them fight in the arena to the death. The strongest child survives and carries on your family name, allowing your House to live on forever. This child will be allowed to enter the gates of Valhalla.

But what if said child that wins has autism? Wouldn't your line suffer from it?

 

[QI 541]

Scenario 7: Have many children, and when they reach the age of 18 you have them fight in the arena to the death. The strongest child survives and carries on your family name, allowing your House to live on forever. This child will be allowed to enter the gates of Valhalla.

The strongest child will probably be the first to die as everyone gangs up on him first.

 

[Daughter of Cernunnos]

I'd abort in every scenario.

 

[ZeCommissar]

Scenario 3: I had a vasectomy and therefore cannot have children.

But assuming you mean the scenario is happening to you, I would choose death.

 

[Broseph Stalin]

Death....by autism.

 

[Raziel]

Scenario 1: Abort
Scenario 2: Have the child cloned with the defections removed, let the illness kill the original.

Lets be real. No one likes autistic children. I mean, they get better if they're not super autistic and they're raised by decent parents. But they usually end up as detriments to society.
Death.

True, if we look at purely as a logical dilemma, however i can't even imagine what the parents of an autistic child must go through if they'll commit the deed, so i understand why most just let them live.