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Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

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Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#271

Post by Cthulhu_ »

creakingstairs wrote: post #56
mathgeek wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyday I passed by the bus stop she would be dancing her heart out to a Britney track waiting for the bus and it made my world a little brighter. As someone who absolutely loves to "be weird", I often wish the world was so much friendlier to folks like this (other than in a token manner).

Is it just me or do I feel like the society is way more accepting nowadays? I had to pretty much hide who I was during school due to fear of bullying/ not fitting in but most kids these days seem to be able to be themselves in many ways. I agree we can be friendlier though!

I want to say yes, but there's a lot of regression happening right now, with right-wing rhetoric, manosphere influencers, and various regimes pushing the other way - the Trump admin firing people, removing symbols and renaming things that they consider "DEI" for example, or teenagers thinking women are property thanks to people like convicted sex trafficker Tate.

The latest is that the Trump admin wants to institutionalize the homeless and "people with mental disabilities".

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#272

Post by SillyUsername »

smeej wrote: post #122
typewithrhythm wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seeing a minute fraction of their existence is a rubbish way to make a judgement. Most of they bring to the world is random rage, unspeakable fluids, and unpleasant interactions. But I guess driving past safari style is fine.

What? Are you talking about real, live people with Down Syndrome? Surveys have consistently shown that they and those who live with them (which is no safari) are happier than everyone else. That wouldn't make much sense if "most" of what they bring to the world is "unpleasant interactions."

Counterpoint. My youngest son has DS. He's an absolute nightmare sometimes.

Whereas some children might get into a mood and be ok after an hour, he does not unless his environment is changed.

He will literally scream or moan non stop for 6-8 hours (yes you read that right, and it's no exaggeration). He would do this when in environments he doesn't recognise, so imagine an airplane, imagine a restaurant, imagine a trip out...

We can't do those things anymore because of the actual judgement we get from other people (oh and I could write a post on this alone).

Then, when we return him to the car to drive home, his behaviour instantly turns to a smile and blowing raspberries.

We also can't get respite, our parents are too old, friends don't feel right babysitting, council services won't yet see him as old enough or have no availability, so it leaves us hiring privately, which is expensive, difficult and low availability.

Of course this takes its toll on our mental health, his sibling and us.

So on one hand I'm pleased it can soon be stopped for others, but on the other it makes up my son's behaviour, who I absolutely love regardless of the impact he has on us without realising, because there are times when you will see the stereotypical love and happiness when it is unexpected.

But I would not say I have greater happiness.

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#274

Post by Huxley1 »

This research gives me a bit of hope. Although it’s still early and far from clinical use, it’s encouraging to see new treatment ideas emerging. I really hope we see more progress like this in the future that can truly help patients and their families.

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#275

Post by [deleted] »

creakingstairs wrote: post #56
mathgeek wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyday I passed by the bus stop she would be dancing her heart out to a Britney track waiting for the bus and it made my world a little brighter. As someone who absolutely loves to "be weird", I often wish the world was so much friendlier to folks like this (other than in a token manner).

Is it just me or do I feel like the society is way more accepting nowadays? I had to pretty much hide who I was during school due to fear of bullying/ not fitting in but most kids these days seem to be able to be themselves in many ways. I agree we can be friendlier though!

[deleted]

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#276

Post by pfortuny »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #237
ghurtado wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See, it's stories like this one that make me really question just how ethical it is to completely eliminate Down's from the gene pool. I understand it's the correct medical and scientific thing to do, it's just that it sometimes feels a little bit like eugenics for me.

I don't see how it is ethical AT ALL to let new children have Down syndrome when we have the ability to eliminate the gene. If Nazis hadn't practiced eugenics it wouldn't have been shuned as it is today. There's nothing wrong with eugenics in itself, just with how it's applied.

So there is a moral imperative to abort fetuses with Down's syndrome?

Wow, that is certainly difficult to explain.

Now abortion has become a moral imperative in some cases...

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#277

Post by ookdatnog »

Thorrez wrote: post #270
BriggyDwiggs42 wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s alive as a zygote, so without even looking at the paper I don’t disagree. The person you responded to said “hardly a life” though, so I don’t think they literally mean is it a cell that’s alive.

It's a unique living organism. A life. Different from a skin cell which isn't a unique organism.

Would you consider a chimera resulting from the fusion of two embryos as two people?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics)

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#278

Post by RamblingCTO »

lincon127 wrote: post #172
ghurtado wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See, it's stories like this one that make me really question just how ethical it is to completely eliminate Down's from the gene pool. I understand it's the correct medical and scientific thing to do, it's just that it sometimes feels a little bit like eugenics for me.

It is eugenics, I just don't see how that's a problem. Eugenics isn't inherently bad, you're just thinking of bad eugenics.

no slippery slope here, nope.

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#279

Post by [deleted] »

Thorrez wrote: post #261
advisedwang wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Down screening is done at like 16 weeks. At 16 weeks that's hardly a life. Also you are being very dismissive by hand-waving away lifestyle. Quality of life is a significant factor in medical decisions. Many people choose short high-qol lives over longer low-qol lives.

>Biologists from 1,058 academic institutions around the world assessed survey items on when a human's life begins and, overall, 96% (5337 out of 5577) affirmed the fertilization view. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36629778/

[deleted]

Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome

#280

Post by b3lvedere »

pseudo0 wrote: post #218
jjj123 wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not a simple test. Ask any straight person if they’d want to turn gay, the vast majority would say no. My guess is they’d say no if you asked the same question about their children. But I’m gay, and while there are pros and cons to it, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. And I don’t think just because someone else doesn’t want to be me is a reasonable bar for eradication. To be clear, I’m not sayin…

Would you want your children to be gay? As a straight person, given the choice I would want my children to be straight, so they could have biological children with their partner and a dating pool of ~48% of the population rather than ~2%. Those are pretty clear objective advantages, even putting aside the issue of societal acceptance. It's completely understandable to have an attachment to one's own identity, but at…

"Would you want your children to be gay?"

It may be a corny answer, but i just would like to have them have a happy healthy life. So, i don't really mind or care if they'd be gay or not.

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