Karyotype Ethical and Social Issues Essay

555 Words3 Pages
Karyotypes are digital images of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in human genetics. In the United States and Canada, more than 400,000 karyotype analyses are performed per year. These analyses are able to determine the gender of the baby and whether an unborn child has inherited or developed a disease as a fetus. As a result, many pregnant women decide to abort foetuses with a chromosome abnormality and basis of gender. Although aborting abnormal pregnancies may lead to discrimination against disabled people, it should be justified and legalized because the birth of a disabled child will likely create financial and mental burdens on the mother. However, abortion based on the basis of gender is unethical and would lead to the promotion of a superior gender. Abortion under any circumstance should be based on the freedom women have to make choices about their own lives. Supporting a child with abnormality could be very expensive and time consuming. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children declares that “abortion of the handicapped is both a reminder of the inhumanity of abortion, attacking the most vulnerable, those most in need of help, and an offence to the disabled, sending them the message that they are inferior and of less value than the able bodied”. However, this is not a judgement towards a specific condition, without showing a definite view towards the people who suffer from that condition. For example, smoking weed is not a good to do, and people should not suffer from it. This does not mean the general public take a negative view towards people who suffer from that condition. Similarly in this case, a woman who does not want to have a baby with disabilities does not mean that she is prejudice towards disabled individuals. The discovery that her child is suffering from a mental disease can likely challenge a woman’s self-esteem and her expectations

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