You would get an abortion if the kid was going to be a mental retard, amirite?

Most abortions take place in the first trimester so you wouldn't know

by Anonymous 11 years ago

They have screenings for pregnant women to check for certain deformities and also downs syndrome, etc. They are done early on (kinda) 12-15 weeks. It is actually routine and they give the parents the choice on if they want to terminate the pregnancy if something is found. I am assuming that's more what the post is about.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Yep, they can perform an amniocentisis (sp?) and take a sample of the amniotic fluid. when they do genetic testing, they can piece the fetus's chromosome pairs together to see if they have down syndrome. This is usually only done in high-risk pregnancies though, and abortion can be an option.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm extremely conflicted over this post =/

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think it depends on more than just that.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm leaning towards yes (as in I would support my spouse if she chose to have an abortion for that reason) but I'm not voting because I just don't know what it would be like to be in that situation. But I look at it this way: if we produce a kid who is mentally handicapped, we will have to take care of him for the rest of our lives and when we get to old age we'll have to sit around and worry about who will take care of him once we're gone. That's my reasoning as of now, but I just don't know.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

There's always a reason to be alive.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Really? I doubt I would abort the baby. But I volunteer a lot and am around mentally handicapped people quite frequently. Some of them are completely unable to move or communicate. In that case, what is the point of living? I am NOT saying their life isn't worth living. It's just that if I was them, I would rather not be alive.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

No I would love my child whether they have a disability or not.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

It's not about that. Sometimes it takes more love for your child to realize that their future would be incredibly difficult and painful for them and decide not to have the baby.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I still don't think I could ever bring myself to do it ;___;

by Anonymous 11 years ago

it all depends on how he will grow up, where he will grow up, how good your job is, how old you are, if you are ready or not, and how kind the people are at the school he will attend.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

On the one hand, I know mental retards don't want to die. On the other hand, I would rather die than become mentally retarded.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Well...they're retarded so they're not going to have reasonable opinions.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

It's still a life, IMHO. It's still a baby who I helped create, who's heartbeat I've heard, who I've felt kick. It may be difficult, but I think I'd keep the pregnancy if my baby was destined to have a mental retardation. It isn't the baby's fault she's mentally disabled. I'd still love her all the same because she's my child. That doesn't mean I force my opinions about abortion on other people. If a mother found out her baby had a mental disability, I wouldn't stand outside the abortion clinic yelling about how she's gonna burn in Hell like some people do these days

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Would you have a different stance on it if you never felt the baby kick? That would be a deal breaker for me

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I'm not sure. Probably not though. I mean, if I found out early in the pregnancy, there wouldn't be any kicks, but I still would of seen him on ultrasound most likely and heard his heartbeat. I haven't been a parent yet (Well, duh. I'm 15) but I'm sure there would be some emotional attachment to the baby the moment I found out I was pregnant. I did forget to mention in my last post that my brother has Down Syndrome, maybe that's the reason why I'd keep my baby if she was mentally handicapped. I see tons of life and love in him every day, and life wouldn't be the same without him. And I think if the doctor told me to get Genetic testing because they think the baby has something wrong with her, I wouldn't do it. I think it's better not knowing and just loving the baby no matter what she has.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Hmmm...... logically I should and if I was given the facts then yes However I feel in the actual situation logic would feud with morality. So i have no idea

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I view an abortion in this situation to be a very selfless act. I'm sure the lives of the mentally handicapped are extremely difficult, and there's no escaping their situation. It's not that their lives are not worth it, it's just that sometimes death is better than life. I think a mother would be sacrificing her emotions so that her child won't have to deal with such hardships in life.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I have plans set aside for my children and if they are unable to fulfill them, there's no point in having them. I would abort.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

What do you mean, plans set out for them? Sounds a bit...tyrannical to me. Elaborate?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

There are just certain things I intend for them to do. Managing my parent's business along with continuing and growing the business I'm in the process of starting up are just 2 examples. Maybe run for public office one day too. Nothing tyrannical or evil, lol.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Huh. I kind of think that's a bit selfish. Then again, not really my place to interfere. Good luck with your...business.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Lol, kind of? It's pretty freaking selfish, but I'm okay with that.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I have two expectations for any future kids of mine. 1) That they're happy 2) That they make the world a better place

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Wow thats pretty... controlling.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Shitstorm inbound.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Many of the NW people may have not experienced first-hand the effects of taking care of a mentally retarded child. I would say yes to this post because not only do you save yourself (and probably many others) the pain and agony of taking care of this fragile human being, you're saving the child him/herself from a lifetime of teasing, frustration, and suffering. Plus, there's always the whole overpopulation crisis, soooo . . .

by Anonymous 11 years ago

What kind of a human are you?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

the Homo sapiens kind.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Those are my favorites!

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Really? I'm slightly partial toward Neanderthals. To each their own, I guess.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

It's not only caring for the child, which would be difficult. A whole life without being able to do what others can do, and the large possibility of ending up in poverty or homeless seem kind of harsh for the baby, not only you.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

My mum was 39 when she had me, so there was a high probability of her child having Down syndrome. I asked her about it, and she said that I probably wouldn't have been born if I'd had it. But anyway, I don't think that anyone can actually make a decision about this until they've actually been in that situation. perhaps it's the same for my mum. I didn't have Down's. But if I had, I don't know what she would have done. It's different theoretically that in reality.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Holy...my mom was 40 something when I was born O_O I won't lie, I'd prefer to not be born than be born mentally retarded. I can't believe I didn't realize how close I was to being mentally disabled. Even though there is always a reason to live...I wouldn't think that when I'm mentally disabled, right? Fuck I don't even know anymore

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Maybe you are mentally disabled and everyone's just being nice.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Nope, the military declared that I'm mentally fit for duty.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Sorry for causing you to have an existential crisis :/ That's not at all what I meant to happen.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think a big part of this situation is one that depends on certain circumstances. I didn't vote because it would depend with how disabled they are. Unless you know what the exact situation would be then it would be a hard choice.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

You probably should have directed this at pro-choice people. A lot of the NWs are probably from people that would never have an abortion because they just don't believe in them.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think I would abort, not because the baby is mentally retarded but because I wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm not a selfless person, and there are plenty of mentally unstable kids at my school, and while I have nothing against them, I could never take care of them for more than a day. In the end, both the child and I would suffer and most likely have to be taken as a burden of the state.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I wouldn't be able to abort. I'm too selfish. That's //my// retarded baby. I'd get so lost in the excitement of being pregnant that I wouldn't think about what would be better for the baby or for loved ones or even the children I might already have.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I would abort it, if my wife wanted to (obviously). It's far more than just "special care". It's the extra worry, schooling, heartache of watching your child grow up in "second place". On top of that, it might cause physical complications which would be hell for them to go through. I would feel a need to abort it.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

You don't call retarded people retards. You call your friends retards.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I would want to abort it and if my wife (assuming I'm married to the mother) didn't want to abort it then I would probably get a divorce.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

For me it depends on the type of mental illness. In my opinion if my child could never grow into a proper adult that could support themselves I would probably abort. It doesn't mean that if I were to have a kid with a mental disorder I wouldn't love them or I think their life is worthless I just think that I would want my kids to become successful adults and it might hurt me emotionally to know that could never happen.

by Anonymous 11 years ago