Genetic engineering... designer babies.. and finally, abortion...
these were the topics for discussion for yesterday's sch gp lesson.. and amazingly, i left with even stronger conviction of what i have always felt...personally, i do not agree with manipulating the foetus genes, just to create a genius, or one who will above the rest.. i mean, if fate gives you a child, why is there still a need to tweak with his genes to make him better? from a religious point of view, we are God's creation and therefore, we are the best in his eyes. if we go ahead and change the dna, its like telling Him that your creation is not perfect.. from a pragmatist point of view.. why do we need to waste that hundreads of thousands dollars to create a genius child, who might still give the parents' same old nightmares.. lol..

But the abortion issue is where the main differences came in.. . i'm sure there are differing opinions even in our group, but thats not the main issue here. however i agree with what Royal Mouse had commented.

how should abortion be justified? if the baby is going to be born with birth defects, like being handicapped or with down's syndrome, are we going to abort him or give them a chance to live?
if the parents are financially stabled and really, are convinced that they can provide the love for this child, then by all means, have the child.. however, have we actually wondered if thats really the best thing for the child? as he is growing up, perhaps there are some areas in our society that will accept him fully as what he is, but lets not bluff ourselves, is the whole society really going to the same?? i don't believe that. have we ever considered the psychological effects that the child's going to face?? yes, the parents will be there to help soften the impact, but how long can they do that. humans are bound to die one day... if the child's emotional support is gone one day, what will happen?? furthermore, lets zoom in to the parent's perspective.. people around them might labelled them as noble, since they are willing to sacrifice for their own flesh and blood. the whole family might still be loovey doovey for the first few years. yet, is there a possiblilty that this situation might change in a few more years? humans are not perfect. will there be one day when the parents grew tire of taking care of the child? will the child be a start for disagreements between the parents, or even leading to the break up of the marriage?? all these are possible scenarios, not to be dismissed. if things are going to end up like this, which i hope not, then won't it cause another emotional blow to the child, as he believes that he is the underlying root, like a jinx??

but of cos, i don't agree using abortion just and when we like. its still a life anyway. i support considering abortion as an option only when there might be birth defects or danger to the mother...

lets move on to the next scenario. what if one is raped, and gotten pregnant? and what if you are living in a community that frowns upon unwed mother, and even, to the horrors, one who was raped.. if abortion is a ticket for this girl to a completely new lease of life, will you encourage the girl to do so?? most importantly, this child is not conceived with love, its conceived with hatred?? furthermore, do you think its good for the child to learn that he existed because his father raped his mother?? yes, of course, one can carry the child to full term and then give him up for adoption..but then again, is it really a better alternative? to some , the latter may be a better one..

after a long chat with royal mouse, im rather convinced that one should really have a stand on whatever issue there may be. if we agree with someone simply becasue we don't wish to offend them, then, well, haha.. some things are better left unsaid..