4 ms·

The term for this is "eugenics", and it's generally considered a negative.

by yareal 2y ago

lofenfew 2y ago
If its not genetic, which autism isn't, then it has nothing to do with eugenics. People have the right to choose how they raise children, trying to dictate that is much more similar to eugenics imo
- yareal 2y ago
  Autism is considered primarily genetic and it's inheritable. What we don't yet understand is the complex set of genetic interactions that result in ASD. Here's one study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215632120 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215632120 but there are dozens if not hundreds more like this. Your claim that ASD is not genetic is extraordinary and counter to the prevailing scientific understanding, and requires significant evidence to back up.
lmz 2y ago
They do it for Down's Syndrome. I don't see why not do it for this too if possible.
- yareal 2y ago
  That's... complicated. There are multiple opinions about aborting fetuses that test positive for Down's syndrome. For one, the tests aren't always accurate. For two, people with Down's syndrome can live fulfilling lives, and have spoken out against the practice. But also it does place an additional burden on parents, and parenting well is already a hard job. But I don't think it's a reasonable comparison -- autism has a much wider variability in how it expresses, from relatively benign (but still impactful) to fully incapable of self sufficiency. I'd also argue just because we practice eugenics in case makes it ok to generalize to other cases (and furthermore, just because we practice it doesn't necessarily make it ok even in that case).
  - lmz 2y ago
    Re: Down's case "not necessarily ok" People abort babies for reasons far less than "lifelong disability requiring constant care". I'm not saying it's done lightly but surely that kind of issue is as valid a reason as any.
    - yareal 2y ago
      I'm pro abortion, I think it's reasonable for a parent to say, "I'm not equipped to deal with this". But I'm also extremely sensitive to people saying, "an entire category of person like me is disappearing due to eugenics". I think it's important to understand and acknowledge the tension between those two positions and recognize that it's not a simple problem.

The term for this is "eugenics", and it's generally considered a negative.

by yareal 2y ago

The term for this is "eugenics", and it's generally considered a negative.

If its not genetic, which autism isn't, then it has nothing to do with eugenics. People have the right to choose how they raise children, trying to dictate that is much more similar to eugenics imo

yareal 2y ago
Autism is considered primarily genetic and it's inheritable. What we don't yet understand is the complex set of genetic interactions that result in ASD. Here's one study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215632120 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2215632120 but there are dozens if not hundreds more like this. Your claim that ASD is not genetic is extraordinary and counter to the prevailing scientific understanding, and requires significant evidence to back up.

lmz 2y ago

They do it for Down's Syndrome. I don't see why not do it for this too if possible.

yareal 2y ago
That's... complicated. There are multiple opinions about aborting fetuses that test positive for Down's syndrome. For one, the tests aren't always accurate. For two, people with Down's syndrome can live fulfilling lives, and have spoken out against the practice. But also it does place an additional burden on parents, and parenting well is already a hard job. But I don't think it's a reasonable comparison -- autism has a much wider variability in how it expresses, from relatively benign (but still impactful) to fully incapable of self sufficiency. I'd also argue just because we practice eugenics in case makes it ok to generalize to other cases (and furthermore, just because we practice it doesn't necessarily make it ok even in that case).
- lmz 2y ago
  Re: Down's case "not necessarily ok" People abort babies for reasons far less than "lifelong disability requiring constant care". I'm not saying it's done lightly but surely that kind of issue is as valid a reason as any.
  - yareal 2y ago
    I'm pro abortion, I think it's reasonable for a parent to say, "I'm not equipped to deal with this". But I'm also extremely sensitive to people saying, "an entire category of person like me is disappearing due to eugenics". I think it's important to understand and acknowledge the tension between those two positions and recognize that it's not a simple problem.