Hear me out: what if instead of subtracting one we added another one to even it out?
Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
91–100 of 520 posts
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
Such that doesn't see you infertile and dead by 30.
>Today, the average life expectancy of a person with Down syndrome is nearly 60 years and continuing to climb. ( https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-educati... )
* for people who can afford healthcare in the USA
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#93Earlier 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!
> Is it just me or do I feel like the society is way more accepting nowadays?
yes for sure. I make sure to teach that to my kids and model that behavior. Lot of my peers are doing that too. I like the 'differently abled' terminology and mindset so much better.
When i was growing up the prevailing mindset among parents was that their kids will trampled on if they teach them to show kindness. Now we want our kids to be kind.
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#94It was well on its way to being eliminated in much of the First World through screening during pregnancy at around 2-3 months. Alot of mothers were electing to terminate the pregnancy and perhaps try again. Especially much of Europe which didn't quite have the moral objections against abortion that the US does, save for a few countries who still have substantial observant Catholics such as Ireland and Poland. Here's…
> Some bioethics experts are concerned I do have to wonder what goes on in the minds of these people. My sister-in-law has a child with Down's syndrome and the situation basically ruined her life. She can no longer work, so they now struggle on a single income, if her husband were to leave her she would be completely screwed. To what end is that in the continuance of ethics?
I do wonder if the elimination of all genotypes with Down's Syndrome would also result in a significant reduction in beneficial or benign genes.
I've had smart pets. I've never had children. I sometimes envision smart pets as like an X-year old child with Y-year old trait, almost as a person with a disability. If a child can't achieve independence and a life of their own, why let all parties suffer through that ordeal?
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
Willing to bet money that it will, there's a ton of investment right now in what I'd call blatant eugenics. There are companies right now making bank on embryo selection based on genetics, the next step is modifying genes instead of rolling a crap shoot and hoping to get what they want. Funnily enough, such companies are funded by and led by some HN subcultures' favorite people, I would know because I was recruited b…
It'a already possible to test for trisomy in a fetus. There's a newish method (NIPT) that does analysis on maternal blood which has very low risk (it's named non-invasive, but drawing blood is routine but not risk free). Having a treatment, if it's feasible, might be more (or less) paletable than ending the pregnancy when diagnostics indicate likely trisomy.
NIPT is non-invasive compared to amniocentesis
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
The US government is not one person or a small set of people with a coherent strategy making decisions based on cost-benefit analysis. It’s an extremely complex emergent system whose properties can only be understood by studying them empirically, not by appealing to arguments about what a human would think is worth it or would make sense.
This isn't responsive to my comment.
I believed they interpreted your post as pointing out the straightforward cost-benefit analysis (with an implication that it seems likely that we’d end up behaving according to that analysis). And they are pointing out that our government often doesn’t behave in a way that is compliant with a straightforward analysis.
It doesn’t seem like a very out-there interpretation of your post, maybe it is wrong, though. In particular the implication that I’ve got in parenthesis is, for sure, reading between the lines and maybe wrong.
But I don’t really get the response of “This isn’t responsive to my comment.” It doesn’t seem to move the conversation forward or clarify anything. Seems like a dead-end. What’s the point?
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#97It was well on its way to being eliminated in much of the First World through screening during pregnancy at around 2-3 months. Alot of mothers were electing to terminate the pregnancy and perhaps try again. Especially much of Europe which didn't quite have the moral objections against abortion that the US does, save for a few countries who still have substantial observant Catholics such as Ireland and Poland. Here's…
> Some bioethics experts are concerned I do have to wonder what goes on in the minds of these people. My sister-in-law has a child with Down's syndrome and the situation basically ruined her life. She can no longer work, so they now struggle on a single income, if her husband were to leave her she would be completely screwed. To what end is that in the continuance of ethics?
Because it's a form of eugenics, however far down the spectrum it may be.
edit: I mean to imply here that the overton window is shifted, basically.
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
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!
You’re right the world is a lot more accepting. No matter how much things improve and how positive the trajectory though, there will be someone online who tells us it’s not enough
As someone that lives as multiple minorities, both visible and not, this is very much untrue.
And that applies for many definitions of "normal". A person outside the "norm", in whatever category, is accepted far less than you claim. Sometimes it may not be visible or even intended, but it's there.
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#99Interesting, I wonder what else this might lead too! Encouraging we might be getting somewhere. I used to live near a Down syndrome center where a bunch of folks lived and I remember this one lady who was kitted out with Britney Spears everything, lunchbox, t-shirt, hat, and headphones. 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 l…
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.
Re: Scientists may have found a way to eliminate chromosome linked to Down syndrome
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
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!
You’re right the world is a lot more accepting. No matter how much things improve and how positive the trajectory though, there will be someone online who tells us it’s not enough
The world can absolutely be more accepting of certain groups than in the past, while at the same time being less accepting of other groups.
If you were part of the latter, you would instantly understand why we still have a lot of work to do.