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Dude, there are people who have children with Tay-Sachs, who are NOT ethnically Jewish at all. 1 in 250 people in the general population is a carrier for Tay-Sa

Dude, there are people who have children with Tay-Sachs, who are NOT ethnically Jewish at all. 1 in 250 people in the general population is a carrier for Tay-Sachs. Also, literally everyone is a carrier of mutations for extremely devastating diseases. You just do not know which ones. This is from a US government website covering Tay-Sachs (https://www.genome.gov/Genetic-Disorders/Tay-Sachs-Disease https://www.genome.gov/Genetic-Disorders/Tay-Sachs-Disease): “While anyone can be a carrier of Tay-Sachs, the incidence of the disease is significantly higher among people of eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish descent. Approximately one in every 27 Jews in the United States is a carrier of the Tay-Sachs disease gene. Non-Jewish French Canadians living near the St. Lawrence River and in the Cajun community of Louisiana also have a higher incidence of Tay-Sachs. For the general population, about one in 250 people are carriers.”

bradleyjg 5y ago
Non-Jewish French Canadians living near the St. Lawrence River and in the Cajun community of Louisiana also have a higher incidence of Tay-Sachs. Traced back to a single particularly fecund Jewish ancestor I believe.
stefan_ 5y ago
I don't understand, the parent said nothing about Jews at all. Nonetheless, given the incidence among them, they also happen to be pioneers in prescreening for this very genetic defect.
- tasha0663 5y ago
  Yeah, that's weird. Either the association is so strong with some people that they can't see Tay-Sachs without immediately thinking Ashkenazi, or there was a stealth edit to the comment.
  - DaveExeter 5y ago
    No stealth edit! Genetic testing can identify carriers, so if Tay-Sachs has been (mostly) 'vanquished' from the Ashkenazi community, it can be 'vanquished' completely. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/18/science/using-genetic-tests-ashkenazi-jews-vanquish-a-disease.html https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/18/science/using-genetic-tes...
    - disabled 5y ago
      You are not being realistic here. Not all cases are detected. Unfortunately, rare mutations are missed by panels used in the United States. This person, who has no Jewish ancestry whatsoever, has a Jewish husband. They got tested for Tay-Sachs using a standard panel in the United States. Their rare mutation for Tay-Sachs got missed and their child had it. :-( See: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dragon-mothers-and-grieving-parents_b_2956023 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dragon-mothers-and-grieving-p... "Rapp was shocked. During her pregnancy she had been tested twice for Tay-Sachs, and both times the test came back negative. She later learned that a standard Tay-Sachs screening covers only the nine most common mutations. Rapp, who is not Jewish, and her husband, who is, were carriers of a rare mutation. To put this in perspective, fewer than 20 children in the United States are born each year with Tay-Sachs to parents who, like Rapp, tested negative and thought they could cross that worry off their lists." They did everything right. As I said before, there are also other cases where parents are NOT Jewish at all, and end up having a kid with Tay-Sachs. Not all parents have the resources to do these genetic tests, and insurance, in the generally speaking, does not cover such testing for genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs in the United States. Here is some information from the major Tay-Sachs organization in the United States (https://www.ntsad.org/index.php/insurance https://www.ntsad.org/index.php/insurance): "Despite position statements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stating it is a basic standard of care to screen persons of French-Canadian, Louisiana-Cajun and Ashkenazi Jewish descent for Tay-Sachs, some may have issues with getting coverage for carrier screening. NTSAD can help you appeal for coverage and at the same time educate the healthcare industry about the importance of genetic testing prior to conception. If you are having problems with insurance covering your carrier test, please contact the office at (617) 277-4463 or info@ntsad.org for assistance with the appeal. We will need your name, address and plan number. The office will provide a letter of support to your insurance company as well as educational materials to present to their medical review team. It is important to note that while the appeal process and potential out-of-pocket cost of genetic testing may seem daunting, it is a drop in the bucket compared to caring for a child affected by Tay-Sachs, Canavan or another allied disease."
      - s1artibartfast 5y ago
zionic 5y ago
Um I’m sorry but what the fuck is this comment? The OP’s point was clearly (to me) that genetic diseases like this should be eliminated at the embryo stage. What does you going all “Jews” have to do with anything?
- pyuser583 5y ago
  > The OP’s point was clearly (to me) that genetic diseases like this should be eliminated at the embryo stage. That’s not clear. In the past Tay-Sachs was prevented mostly by pre-marriage genetic counseling.

bradleyjg 5y ago

Non-Jewish French Canadians living near the St. Lawrence River and in the Cajun community of Louisiana also have a higher incidence of Tay-Sachs. Traced back to a single particularly fecund Jewish ancestor I believe.

stefan_ 5y ago

I don't understand, the parent said nothing about Jews at all. Nonetheless, given the incidence among them, they also happen to be pioneers in prescreening for this very genetic defect.

tasha0663 5y ago
Yeah, that's weird. Either the association is so strong with some people that they can't see Tay-Sachs without immediately thinking Ashkenazi, or there was a stealth edit to the comment.
- DaveExeter 5y ago
  No stealth edit! Genetic testing can identify carriers, so if Tay-Sachs has been (mostly) 'vanquished' from the Ashkenazi community, it can be 'vanquished' completely. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/18/science/using-genetic-tests-ashkenazi-jews-vanquish-a-disease.html https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/18/science/using-genetic-tes...
  - disabled 5y ago
    You are not being realistic here. Not all cases are detected. Unfortunately, rare mutations are missed by panels used in the United States. This person, who has no Jewish ancestry whatsoever, has a Jewish husband. They got tested for Tay-Sachs using a standard panel in the United States. Their rare mutation for Tay-Sachs got missed and their child had it. :-( See: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dragon-mothers-and-grieving-parents_b_2956023 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dragon-mothers-and-grieving-p... "Rapp was shocked. During her pregnancy she had been tested twice for Tay-Sachs, and both times the test came back negative. She later learned that a standard Tay-Sachs screening covers only the nine most common mutations. Rapp, who is not Jewish, and her husband, who is, were carriers of a rare mutation. To put this in perspective, fewer than 20 children in the United States are born each year with Tay-Sachs to parents who, like Rapp, tested negative and thought they could cross that worry off their lists." They did everything right. As I said before, there are also other cases where parents are NOT Jewish at all, and end up having a kid with Tay-Sachs. Not all parents have the resources to do these genetic tests, and insurance, in the generally speaking, does not cover such testing for genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs in the United States. Here is some information from the major Tay-Sachs organization in the United States (https://www.ntsad.org/index.php/insurance https://www.ntsad.org/index.php/insurance): "Despite position statements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stating it is a basic standard of care to screen persons of French-Canadian, Louisiana-Cajun and Ashkenazi Jewish descent for Tay-Sachs, some may have issues with getting coverage for carrier screening. NTSAD can help you appeal for coverage and at the same time educate the healthcare industry about the importance of genetic testing prior to conception. If you are having problems with insurance covering your carrier test, please contact the office at (617) 277-4463 or info@ntsad.org for assistance with the appeal. We will need your name, address and plan number. The office will provide a letter of support to your insurance company as well as educational materials to present to their medical review team. It is important to note that while the appeal process and potential out-of-pocket cost of genetic testing may seem daunting, it is a drop in the bucket compared to caring for a child affected by Tay-Sachs, Canavan or another allied disease."
    - s1artibartfast 5y ago

zionic 5y ago

Um I’m sorry but what the fuck is this comment? The OP’s point was clearly (to me) that genetic diseases like this should be eliminated at the embryo stage. What does you going all “Jews” have to do with anything?

pyuser583 5y ago
> The OP’s point was clearly (to me) that genetic diseases like this should be eliminated at the embryo stage. That’s not clear. In the past Tay-Sachs was prevented mostly by pre-marriage genetic counseling.