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“I’ll take a four-sensed baby please.”
Written by-Zach- There is apparently some legal discussion in the UK about deaf parents being able to pick deaf embryos over hearing ones. Why this is even a discussion is beyond me.
“Deaf parents should be allowed to screen their embryos so they can pick a deaf child over one that has all its senses intact, according to the chief executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (RNID). Jackie Ballard, a former Liberal Democrat MP, says that although the vast majority of deaf parents would want a child who has normal hearing, a small minority of couples would prefer to create a child who is effectively disabled, to fit in better with the family lifestyle.” Sarah-Kate Templeton, The Times (UK)
This video is an interview with some deaf parents about how they think it’s about discrimination. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/05/19/herriman.deaf.embryo.cnn It all comes down to selfishness. Who are these parents thinking about? Are they thinking about the baby or are they thinking about themselves? Are these people saying that they think their baby would like to be deaf? If so, let him grow up for 12 years with his hearing and if he then decides that he wants to be deaf, then so be it, have him poke out his eardrums.
At the age of 12 he’ll start taking an interest in music and develop his own tastes. He’ll want to be in the band at school. He’ll want to play video games and actually hear the gunshots in Grand Theft Auto VII. If being deaf was so preferred, why don’t more people poke out their eardrums? Or have them surgically removed? No one wants to be deaf. And I think it to be extremely odd that a parent would want that for their child. No one who has ever been able to hear would ever think it was better without their hearing. That’s just plain stupid. And to make a choice like that for another human before he’s even born is just not in his best interest, and shouldn’t that be what it’s about? It’s not just a matter of preferences. This is a real person. It’s not like parents have to pay extra to get a kid with all 5 senses. People typically come with all of their senses included.
They say it would fit better into their lifestyle. How is that true? There is nothing that a deaf person can do that a hearing person can’t. A hearing child can learn sign language and do all the other “deaf community things” just the same as a deaf person would. I find this story troubling because all of the attention is given to the parents and how they think it is discrimination against the deaf community, when in reality it should have nothing to do with anyone but the child. When the child is considered, this argument just falls apart.
Discrimination talk makes me sick. It’s always about trying to be “progressive” and “giving equal rights”. The truth is that we all discriminate and there’s not anything necessarily wrong with that. Nature discriminates. Some trees are tall and some are short, and it’s not based on merit but no one’s complaining. When we point out a difference that isn’t based on merit, that’s discrimination. That’s the true meaning of discrimination. If we just start caring about people and stop selfishly thinking about what we deserve. THAT will be progressive.
I have to agree with you…..this is absolutely crazy. It gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to even think about it.
To choose or not to choose- would I have chosen a child that doesn’t procrastinate? Would I have chosen a child that cleans his room and makes his bed? Would I have chosen a child that practices his piano without being told? Would I have chosen a child that doesn’t leave dirty dishes in the sink? Would I have chosen a child without selective hearing? Would I have chosen a child that has wonderful writing skills but doesn’t write things that will tick people off?
HMMM - I need to think about this one!
Mom
This is absolute insanity! I agree that the child should be given a choice over such things.
At the very least, it’s selffish of the parents to try to alter an embryo to make the child deaf. However, at the very most and absolute closeness to reality, it is horribly cruel. Like you said, the child must have a choice. We all know, that “a small minority” of children MIGHT possibly choose to be deaf if they are given a choice. Noone needs to be a martyr just to make their parents happy. I can’t imagine the thought process of a parent, if given the choice, would willingly make their child handicapped. Seemingly, being deaf could potentially make the mind stronger, but they still deserve to hear.
There is one thing a deaf person can do that a hearing person can’t. A hearing child may be able to learn ASL but they might never be able to truly empathize with people that have disabilities, like their parents. Without true empathy, compassion and understanding for their parents disabilities, they might never be able to have a healthy relationship with their parents. So I understand the idea, but they still deserve full health.
WHAT???
Ok. Here’s the story from someone who has a handicapped parent.
My mom is blind.
I grew up watching how hard it is for her, how heartbreaking it is for her, to be sightless in a visual world. I wouldn’t choose to face the challenges my mom faces on a moment to moment basis EVER. Her life is so hard and my heart is broken for her and for all disabled people because life sucks when you can’t do what everyone else can do.
Why anyone would want to choose a life of heartache, frustration and struggle for their child is beyond me. It’s the last thing my mom would want for me and my brother.
The. last. thing.
I think she’d rather see us dead.
And I would never sentence my own daughter to a life like that either. Never.
It’s not what loving people do.
I like how in your drawing, all of the American children are obese. Well, I don’t really LIKE it, but you know.
Oh, Zach, the only problem is that you are wrong about kids not choosing to be deaf. For instance, when I reached the tender age of about fifteen, my mother thought that I had not heard a word she had ever said to me. In fact, I couldn’t hear a thing any adult was saying. This went on for years and was all by my own choice. While I had only figuratively poked out my adult-hearing eardrums (as opposed to my peer-hearing eardrums, which worked just fine), the effect was largely the same. I was totally deaf to adults. Many, many, many children will choose precisely the same path. I, for one, remain deaf to this day to people who bore me with their good sense. So, many people do choose to be deaf.
When I hear people complaining about shock radio or hip-hop lyrics or suggestive television or cursing or what-have-you, I wonder why those people can’t just ignore those things. It is so easy to become deaf to something, and most of us just do it! So, my point is, a lot of us — including children — choose to be selectively deaf. When you were a child, did you never cover your ears and say, “I can’t hear you…” over and over? That’s what I’m talking about. Yes, many children do choose to be deaf.
Oh, and everyone knows that tall trees work harder, are more ambitious, and are smarter than short trees. That’s why short trees are paid less than tall trees. Get your facts straight.
Matt is right. All your American kids are obese. Thats discrimination!
Actually, its more or less a fact, that more than 15% of American pre-teens and teens are over weight, thats roughly 45% more than 14 years ago, kids are blowing up as fast as the ice caps are melting. So you really can’t discriminate against the masses. (no pun intended.)
Hi Matt. Well, maybe no pun was intended but your “masses” comment was funny anyway!
But some of those foreign kids should be obese, too! While the US does have a high percentage of obese children, it is not alone. The UK and Canada are very close to US figures, and some European nations like Malta, Gibraltar, and Portugal are beating us in terms of childhood obesity. I know, we like to think that the US is number one in everything, but I think we can let Malta have its moment in the sun on this one occasion.
And, if you believe in reverse discrimination, you believe that you can discriminate against the masses. I personally discriminate against the masses every opportunity I get, especially when it is very popular to do so.
I think that we can deconstruct Zach’s drawing even further. For instance, how come 3/5 of the foreign babies are orange while the majority are brown, yet all of the American babies are orange? What does the color symbolize? Zach is far too intelligent and cryptic to merely have color signify skin color — and all American kids are not fat and orange anyway — so it must symbolize something else. If it symbolizes gender, than the adult couple is a same-sex couple. What is Zach trying to say? But I could be totally off-base here. Maybe Orange symbolizes lactose-intolerance, and Zach is saying that Americans hate milk. Only Zach can shed light on all of this.
There are 8 foreign babies and three of them are “PEACH”….(not orange). Three of them are “tan” and the other two are just plain ‘ole brown.
There are absolutely no orange babies. Of course, I certainly wasn’t intending to discriminate against the foreign babies known as Umpa Lumpas. Umpa Lumpa families are very close knit and they would never have a baby for sale. They truly cherish their children unlike us in the US and many other parts in the world.
I’d also like to make a point about the babies.
Baby is such a general term. Why does everyone make the assumption that they are all the same age, so the American babies are obese?
Perhaps, the foreign babies are newborns and the American babies are 9 months old. Ever think of that?
Everyone just assumes I was making some sort of point about how American children are abnormally obese.
Let’s not make assumptions.
About previous comments,
Crissy, I think you are definitely right. Loving people don’t do that to their kids. I don’t think that these deaf parents are in the majority among the deaf community. I do know that a lot of people are very interested in getting cochlear implants for their deaf kids.
Stoogepie, you are totally right about kids choosing to be deaf in certain situations especially towards adults. I know that I had my fair share of deafness while growing up. And…even now.
Good ideas. Added message about you on my site
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