Dawkins on Down Syndrome foetus: "Abort and Try again"

[the_bob_delusion]

“Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice,” -Dawkins.

Discuss. 

[k0llectable5]

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@**what_would_bob_do** wrote:

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@secondhand-wonderland wrote:

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@**what_would_bob_do** wrote:

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@secondhand-wonderland wrote:

This is a hard one to have an opinion on because we all want to be moralistic and not just go around killing "people" because they aren't perfect.  

For me though, I honestly think this would be one of the few circumstances where I would abort and try again.  Not just because of the risk of all the possible health problems but because as a parent it must be so hard to have to care for a DS child (not to say that before too long you wouldn't just get used to it, but it just seems like a perfectly valid reason to abort imho.  

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so essentially are you saying that if a parent is incapable of caring for a child, any child regardless of health, it just seems like a perfectly valid reason to abort?

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No I dont believe I said that at all. But essentially I do agree with that comment. If a parent is incapable of caring for a child regardless of the health of the child then I dont think the child should be left with said "incapable parent" Who would leave a child with an incapable parent?

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So what's worst; never being born or being born and be neglected and essentially abused? 

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I think being born and being neglected and abused is far worse than never being born.

Dont get me wrong I'm not pro abortion, infact I would say I am anti abortion to a large degree but I cant stand to see children neglected and abused.  And if someone is incapable of looking after an infant then they shouldn't be allowed to have it imo.

[isgodnu]

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@**what_would_bob_do** wrote:

So what's worst; never being born or being born and be neglected and essentially abused? 

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So essentially you are claiming that parents who do not believe in abortion are necessarily abusive?

[lealta]

Where do you draw the line?

The woman who is pregnant should be the one to draw the line.  No one else has the right to tell a woman that she should or shouldn't have an abortion.  For me personally, I had amnio with my second child.  Had they told me he had Down Syndrome I would have aborted.  My son is gay.  Had I been told through tests that he was gay, I wouldn't have hesitated to continue with the pregnancy.  It's a personal decision and no one elses business.

[k0llectable5]

You are right Lealta, it is a personal decision but what about a promiscuous 20yr old girl "accidentally" falling pregnant or a young couple that know the consequences of unprotected sex "accidentally" falling pregnant having abortions.  Is it the same as aborting because tests have shown a high chance of DS or other serious birth defects, do you think? 

[polksaladallie]

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@lealta wrote:

Where do you draw the line?

The woman who is pregnant should be the one to draw the line.  No one else has the right to tell a woman that she should or shouldn't have an abortion.  For me personally, I had amnio with my second child.  Had they told me he had Down Syndrome I would have aborted.  My son is gay.  Had I been told through tests that he was gay, I wouldn't have hesitated to continue with the pregnancy.  It's a personal decision and no one elses business.

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What I meant was that there are dozens of different deformities in unborn babies, most of which are terminated.  Where is the line drawn?  Which deformity is "acceptable" and which is not?  And does the parent know everything before she/he is advised to terminate?  Why is DS acceptable and the others not?