6 ms·

I have hemophilia, a genetically inherited X-chromosome linked disorder, inherited from the mother. Due to the fact males have an XY chromosome and mothers have

I have hemophilia, a genetically inherited X-chromosome linked disorder, inherited from the mother. Due to the fact males have an XY chromosome and mothers have two X’s, with one of the X’s containing the faulty gene, it’s possible for a mother to have children with and without the disease. In fact, there is a 50% chance each of her males will have the disorder. Why am I telling you this? Because there is a test that can tell if the fetus has hemophilia or not by sampling blood via amniocentesis. When my mom was pregnant with my brother, she had this procedure done. However, there were complications during pregnancy and my brother, although he was in fact born without hemophilia, has severe birth defects in his lower extremities. It was later found to be directly caused by the test itself. Just goes to show what happens when you try to play god.

mjevans 7y ago
Playing god is fine if you've got the technology to back the check you're writing. We aren't there yet, but I hope we end up surviving and maturing to the point where we can "play god" and do so ethically.
mgamache 7y ago
Let's get some things straight.. Did they use CVS to get the DNA sample? CVS has birth defect risks. This is not playing God, this is taking a calculated risk because you know of a 50% chance of a birth defect. It is horrible that your brother suffered unnecessarily. I am pretty sure that they can sample the mother's blood to get the DNA needed in 2019 (so no risk of birth defects). [https://www.webmd.com/baby/chorionic-villus-sampling https://www.webmd.com/baby/chorionic-villus-sampling]