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Here's a thought experiment for you: Suppose your son, a DS patient, rejects the treatment on the grounds that they like having DS. As their caretaker, you have

by gcr 13y ago

Here's a thought experiment for you: Suppose your son, a DS patient, rejects the treatment on the grounds that they like having DS. As their caretaker, you have two choices. - You can force them to submit to treatment, reasoning that their cognitive deficiency keeps them from understanding the implications of rejecting the treatment; or - You can allow them to forego treatment and thus bear the (in your view) increased burden of taking care of them. I ask out of curiousity rather than judgment. Which would you choose and why?

GeneralMayhem 13y ago
Well, I'm not a parent, but I think I would choose the former. I think they're probably unable to understand the implications, particularly if it's a treatment that has to be done at birth, and I think my judgement is better than my young child's in any case. And it even helps my selfish side, because, as you point out, it makes it much easier to take care of him.
hrkristian 13y ago
There is a third side to this: Increased self-awareness. This treatment only caused the brain to develop normally, which would mean that in the case of humans with Downs the other downsides to the disease would remain (until another cure/treatment was found for those as well, of course.) Would a person with DS who gains normal brain function really be better off afterwards? Would a large segment of the patients fall into depression? I have a brain damaged uncle and know just how much verbal/passive abuse these groups get in their day-to-day life, luckily in his condition it doesn't really get to him like it does a normal person.
- icoder 13y ago
  This is a very good point. I remember watching a documentary a long time ago in wich people with DS but only moderate mental retardation became fairly frustrated with the fact that they looked/were different and wanting that to change.
skunkednoH2O2 13y ago
Ask this about autism and see what kind of "caregivers" are out there. Or, if you as a parent could not get services for your DS or autistic child, would you get a lighter sentence for the all-too-common DS and autistic murders out there? [The press treats caregiver originated murders gingerly too.] Autistic rights groups follow these developments painstakingly, often in dread of what the wider public incorrectly assumes from these very basic studies.[I hate science sensationalism with a passion.]
e12e 13y ago
The book: "The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon has a similar theme to your question (but deals with autism, not downs syndrome).

by gcr 13y ago

GeneralMayhem 13y ago

Well, I'm not a parent, but I think I would choose the former. I think they're probably unable to understand the implications, particularly if it's a treatment that has to be done at birth, and I think my judgement is better than my young child's in any case. And it even helps my selfish side, because, as you point out, it makes it much easier to take care of him.

hrkristian 13y ago

There is a third side to this: Increased self-awareness. This treatment only caused the brain to develop normally, which would mean that in the case of humans with Downs the other downsides to the disease would remain (until another cure/treatment was found for those as well, of course.) Would a person with DS who gains normal brain function really be better off afterwards? Would a large segment of the patients fall into depression? I have a brain damaged uncle and know just how much verbal/passive abuse these groups get in their day-to-day life, luckily in his condition it doesn't really get to him like it does a normal person.

icoder 13y ago
This is a very good point. I remember watching a documentary a long time ago in wich people with DS but only moderate mental retardation became fairly frustrated with the fact that they looked/were different and wanting that to change.

skunkednoH2O2 13y ago

Ask this about autism and see what kind of "caregivers" are out there. Or, if you as a parent could not get services for your DS or autistic child, would you get a lighter sentence for the all-too-common DS and autistic murders out there? [The press treats caregiver originated murders gingerly too.] Autistic rights groups follow these developments painstakingly, often in dread of what the wider public incorrectly assumes from these very basic studies.[I hate science sensationalism with a passion.]

e12e 13y ago

The book: "The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon has a similar theme to your question (but deals with autism, not downs syndrome).