Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

i've been hearing a lot recently about using science to change an embreyo with down's syndrome to an embreyo with out down's syndrome.
i felt really bad when i heard about this, because my brother has Down's and i would not change him for the world.

yeah- people with down's can be difficult but can't we all?
i did a presentation about it in school- well, i tried to but i ended up crying
but i got the people who agreed with getting rid of it all together to put their hands up- and i was shocked at how many did, i mean, it was only like 4 or 5 but still, i was still pretty upset, because the idea of living in a world with out Mike is unthinkable. i wanted to tell everyone how nice and kind the people that i know with down's are, but i was crying by this point, so i couldnt talk

so anyway, whaT do you think about getting rid of it for convenience?

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It touches me to see how much you care for your brother. You really do love him very much. I am really impressed with you. And I can also see how much this topic really concerns you.

A few months ago, I was working in a nursing home with Alzheimers patients. I, too, know the pains and joys of caring for people with debilitating conditions, so I can certainly relate.

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Well, first of all, just to be clear, we're talking about genetically altering the embryo, right? Not just getting rid of it? I don't think Down's Syndrome is any kind of justification for abortion...

Assuming it's the former situation, I think it's a perfectly plausible idea, but one that should obviously be left to the parents. If your parents had had that option, and taken it, you'd have a different person as your brother today.

I think there's something missing here. The problem SG has with it is that, at least as she perceives it, people seem to be placing value on her brother according to his quality of life and/or his abilities. This upsets her, because obviously she cares very much for her brother. I think her point is essentially that we should value people simply because they are people. She doesn't really want her brother to be a different person at all.

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I agree completely. But I also think that it may be presumptious to assume that we "devaluing" someone by advocating a technique that would rid them of a mental handicap. Regardless of his mental condition, Mike is still a person like any of us, but if the parents of a pre-natal child believe that they can improve the quality of life of their unborn child, why not have that option available?

I can understand that. I worked with Alzheimer's patients at the nursing home over the summer. On one hand, I can appreciate the difficulties of caring for the mentally impaired. Yet I can also appreciate the joy of caring for someone who is a valuable human being, despite their handicap. And, I can also appreciate the desire for a cure as well.

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No way, I saw a movie in my Biology class last year, and to do that would be just wrong. Even if I hadn't saw that, I still would think that is wrong to play God, anywhere.

I didn't say I approved of the treatment method, only that I can understand the desire for some kind of remedy.

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I'm all for this new treatment, but only when it's used on embryos. I'm not all "OMGWTFBBQ GENETICALLY CHANGE ALL PEOPLE WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME!!!!!111" simply because I'd be frightened what the effects of the treatment might be on a fully developed brain.

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One of my little sister's best friends has down's syndrome, also name Mike. He's a really wonderful child, and a pleasure to have around. I wouldn't change him for the world.

However, if ever they developed a way to help cure Down's in embryo's safely and surely, without damaging the child, I would be all for that. However, nothing is that sure at this point.

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I'm no religios man, so I don't consider abortion a sin, only a bit wrong, but I choose yes anyway.

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die spelling nazis!

That's pretty much how I feel. I don't really know any people with Down's syndrome, but I can see why their families and friends wouldn't want them changed. However, if they could fix the problem SAFELY while the child was still in the womb, I see no problem with that. Even then, I'm sure that a lot of parents wouldn't want to have it fixed, and I can definitely understand why.

Of course, if they go overboard, that's a different story. By "overboard", I mean, say, aborting all children who are going to have Down's syndrome. That would definitely not be good.

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You can only treat embryos. A full-grown person has way to many cells to use this treatment (If I understood it correctly).

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