Do You Think

[Homicidalheathen]

against their will?

My kid thinks so....I dunno how but I raised a pretty conservative kid or 3 lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beethoven

Would you consider abortion in the following situation?

The father is sick with the sniffles, the mother has TB. They have four children. The 1st is blind, the 2nd has died, the 3rd is deaf and the 4th has TB. She finds she's pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion?

you have killed Beethoven.

I think this was brought up a few years ago but I wanted to see what some of the new people thought

[Msterbeau]

DGN probably wouldn't exist.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I fail to see the connection between Forced Abortions and Conservatism. I mean, Conservatives are the Pro-Life party who would outlaw abortions completely given the chance.

Also, it was a matter of law to sterilize those seen as "unfit" here in the USA. Some 60,000 people were forcibly sterilized "for the betterment of mankind" from 1909 to 1979 when it was finally made illegal. It was groups like Planned Parenthood, Human Betterment Foundation and other "Socially Progressive" groups that supported these Eugenics laws.

Please, stop putting the label "conservative" on any subject matter you find to be distasteful. It's never as cut and dry as you might think.

But to answer the post directly and as someone who is leaning to the right side of the room...

I am totally against forced abortions and sterilization of any kind. We have no right to do this kind of thing at all.

[nilhil_glory]

forced abortions. is not a very humanisitic thing.

I beleive in pro choice but im very very against someone forcing their will onto a woman to have an abortion if she doesnt want to have the abortion

as for euthinasia

only if the person presented previousely when they were unquestionably conciouse and able by a written agreement that they wanted to be euthinized in a vegitive state or after a certain time frame as such should euthinization be allowed. no mentally disabled person whom was born that way should ever be euthinized

as of mentelly handicapped being steralized

no if two people love each other and want kids

so be it

in fact in most cases as such the child usually tends to grow up excelling at everything they do

[ttogreh]

As trite as it sounds, it truly does take a village to raise a child. Just because a person or a couple is below average intelligence does not mean that the people around them are just as impaired. The foster system and child welfare agencies are overworked, understaffed, and underfunded.

It's not the fault of a slow person that wants to be a parent that society isn't ready for such a thing.

[Destroit]

No, but I think that they should sterilize trash . Trashy people generally breed trashy kids.

In all seriousness, I kid, I guess even though there's stupid (and I don't mean actually mentally impaired people, I'm talking stupid) people breeding all over America, I guess in a free country they have the right to.

[Onyx]

Forced sterilization - no.

It seems there are a lot of mentally handicapped people though who are really like children and do not understand about sex or have access or knowledge of birth control methods and end up being taken advantage of because of that and end up pregnant.

There should be some sort of system in place to protect and educate these women. Maybe there is, but it seems to often fail (like the sad case of that pregnant woman we were talking about in that other thread where they took her money and starved her).

[ttogreh]

Exactly... forced sterilization is wrong, but we have to create an environment in society where the least of us can excel at whatever opportunities are presented to them.

Call that communism or socialism or whatever ism that you dislike the most, but I think we as humans have to figure out how to live with each other without using force. We might not figure it out until long after all of us are dead....

But we ought to TRY, damn it...

[Homicidalheathen]

DGN probably wouldn't exist.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

The short answer would be "no".

But i do wish there was some way to limit the passing on of clearly harmful mutations in the gene pool of future generations. How to do that without being unkind an inhumane I'm not sure.

[bean]

No, mentally handicapped people should not be sterilized. No one should be sterilized simply because they possess features that are deemed "undesirable" by "society". If we started doing that, then it would get to a point where only rich, young, thin, white people were allowed to breed. (because that is what "society" deems "desirable"...sorry, I'm on a kick from my cultural diversity class I'm taking right now)

Trampy morons breed everyday and have children and I don't see anyone bitching about that.

[Onyx]

The short answer would be "no".

But i do wish there was some way to limit the passing on of clearly harmful mutations in the gene pool of future generations. How to do that without being unkind an inhumane I'm not sure.

yes, but that's a really slippery slope.

I've read that there is a lot of evidence that Down's syndrome and many other forms of mental retardation are actually related to poor diet and other prenatal influences pre-conception and during the formation of the fetus. Definitely worth more research $$$ instead of some of the other stupid crap they are studying.

[sass_in_the_pants]

This is like the story of Ashley X.

Her parents had her sex organs removed in 2004. She was six years old and already starting to show signs of puberty. It's called precocious puberty and is very common in children with severe brain damage. Ashley cannot move any part of her body except for her head, and must be tube-fed. Her parents were heavily criticized for their decision. I think they are two people who love their daughter deeply and are trying to do what's right in a difficult situation.

If Ashley continued to grow into adulthood, her parents would no longer be able to lift her. She would have to be put in a nursing home, and cared for round the clock by nurses, and not her family. If Ashley grew breasts, her parents feared she would more likely fall victim to sexual abuse. If she started menstruation, she would have to deal with monthly discomfort which she would never be able to understand.

She was sterilized in an effort to keep what quality of life she had. I believe her parents were working in the best interest of their child and frankly, I find no fault with that.

[Angel of Death]

I think abortions esp forced abortions are just wrong...Everyone deserves a chance to live...

[ttogreh]

As in all things, this is a spectrum. I do not believe that Ashley X's parents were acting in a malicious manner. I do believe that forcibly sterilizing an individual with an IQ of eighty, an understanding of right and wrong, and a job (however menial) is wrong and malicious.

There are always shades of gray.

[the eternal]

DGN probably wouldn't exist.

:unsure:

Good Point.

[Daevion]

sterilize all humans .....they are a blight on the landscape

[ttogreh]

I can't tell if you are serious or satirical.

[Msterbeau]

Daevion is always serious. Except when he isn't.

[Daevion]

Daevion is always serious. Except when he isn't.

yes

[Homicidalheathen]

Its called genetic enineering and its going to become the norm.

The short answer would be "no".

But i do wish there was some way to limit the passing on of clearly harmful mutations in the gene pool of future generations. How to do that without being unkind an inhumane I'm not sure.

[xbittergracex]

Forced Sterilization? Thats a little too Nazi-esque for me.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Forced Sterilization? Thats a little too Nazi-esque for me.

It's called Eugenics and was practiced by Planned Parenthood for years. There were also 20 states that had Eugenics laws up until 1979.

It's wrong.

Last I checked, and I don't have to go far to check as my wife works with the mentaly imparied every day, there is something called The Constitution and another thing called The Bill of Rights and they both apply to EVERYBODY, no matter what birth defects and/or mental impairment they have.

[Oh_My_Goth]

It would be an empty world if that was the law.....so OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TygerLili]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: I think forced abortion is wrong, period. I think forced sterilization on the basis of mental retardation or any other type of handicap is wrong. I think that some caution should be shown, when individuals with handicaps or genetic disorders choose to procreate(ie: consulting your physician about the possible outcomes of choosing to have children); but really, shouldn't we all be careful about bringing offspring into the world.

I do, however, believe that people who keep having children that they can't afford or take care of to stay on welfare, or just because they're too lazy and apathetic to do anything for birth control, should be sterilized, so I guess I'm not entirely opposed to forced sterilization. Rather than having to provide food and foster care for your eigth illegitimate children, I think the government should have the right to tie your tubes after two. Call me a hypocrite if you must.