Abortion for autism

[Intimes22]

My son is severely autistic with no language or understanding. He can be violent and needs all self care done for ,him.
We saw his doctor today and during that appointment we discussed cause and that in her opinion a gene is responsible for asd. She mentioned that her hope one day a cause is found with prenatal screening.

So it got me thinking if a test was created and all women was offered it. How many would opt for an abortion? As asd is a spectrum.
down syndrome is different obviously but its still a spectrum where most women abort if found during prenatal screening.

I believe that its the womens choice no matter what.

obviously i can't help be biased when it comes to abortion for asd

My son is similar to yours. I would never abort for downs syndrome or autism.

For or against?

against. I wouldn't abort due to baby having disabilities.

This has a huge potential to be a very hurtful and upsetting thread for many. I came to type my answer but I couldn't find a way of saying what I think sensitively.

Bottom line is that are women who abort if any disability is found and there are women only abort for some types of disabilities and then there are women who do not abort no matter what.

I think screening in the womb would be good because it can allow parents to prepare and research the condition and get support in place. A disabled child also impacts on any existing children and caring responsibilities, career and finances. I think it's good to know but I have heard of those who didn't know (wasn't picked up) and were glad of it because they said they would have aborted had they known and missed out on getting to know their child. It's a very difficult thing to contemplate but I think knowledge is power whatever a woman chooses to do about the information.

I have an autistic son and I would find it a really tricky decision. I am pregnant at the moment and for various reasons our test results for Downs were delayed. Before we found out I'm low risk, we were wondering what we would do and I said it would be so hard to make a decision as there is no way of knowing how serious the health/lifestyle would be impacted. I think this is the same for autism, I don't think I could abort for either when it came to it, but this time I was taking into consideration my two living children when thinking about bringing a potentially severely disabled child into the world. I don't know that I'd want screening for autism though, there's way too big a range in the spectrum I think

This is such an interesting question which brings say many factors into play. Fundamentally, it's a situation where the rights and value of people with disabilities is directly pitted against the rights and value of pregnant women.

But it's also about 'risk' - the risk of having a baby with a particular condition; the risk that that condition will be severe; the risk to the baby's health, life and wellbeing; the risk to the parent's lives and wellbeing.

It's also about how society treats people with disabilities. This particular issue also brings in really uncomfortable questions about 'much' disability society or individual parents can tolerate or accept.

Tom Shakespeare has written about it, as have other disability activists.

For me, personally, women's rights to choose always trump everything. I believe women should be able to have abortions on demand at any point during a pregnancy for any reason at all.

I wouldn't abort I don't think. However, I have passed a genetic condition with a 50/50 chance of inheritance to my DS.
I think if the option arose, I would have screened it out by selecting the embryos without the faulty gene.

Of course, my DC could suffer any number of other unknown issues but I would prefer to not knowingly have passed on the pain / difficulties I have.

I think in an ideal world parents would have all the options available to them and as much knowledge about their unborn child as possible. There are parents who would be unable to raise a child with autism due to many factors - illness themselves, lack of support, financial concerns, other children in the household, just a lack of desire to do so - and would choose to abort, and their are parents who wouldn’t. How much better would it be if a parent knew their child would be neurodivergent from birth and could raise their child knowing that and with resources and support from newborn, rather than having to fight the system to get a diagnosis and struggling with schools etc. It also gives parents time to get used to the diagnosis and prepare themselves to parent differently to how they probably expected.

I do agree that this thread has the potential to upset sust like a possible test. Just like how the down syndrome community feel. That doesn't mean its wrong

I don’t think I could support screening for ASD - the ways in which people are affected are so broad and varied. My little boy has ASD and is a lovely child - I can’t imagine life without him. It’s too awful to contemplate.

I fully support the right to choice and abortion for whatever reason, but I fear that screening in this way risks falling into the category of eugenics. My brother also has ASD, and we strongly suspect that DH does also. So that’s three people that I love potentially aborted, because a screening test could not reveal how the individual might be affected.

Im going to hide this thread now because I am finding the concept deeply upsetting to consider. I will end by saying that maybe if we truly supported and cared for people with disabilities as a society - properly
funding things like special education and care - then maybe we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

On a personal level, at the moment my husband and I have decided we would abort for any disabilities. I think the option we have to do so is a really good thing, and my heart is breaking every day for the women who no longer have that option.

I've just done week 2 of a course on Autism which gave an hour lecture on why it's not just one gene, can only be multiple genes in combination, meaning that a pre natal test is very unlikely

I personally would never abort for a disability unless they were going to have a bad quality of life - however I'd never judge anybody for getting an abortion no matter what the reason.

I'm of the opinion that it has been a pivotal genetic trait in human development and progress. I wonder what would happen if we started to screen it out?

Generally the term is compassionate induction or is called a TFMR.

Ending a wanted pregnancy for medical reasons is horrific. Emotionally, physically, mentally. It's never something undertaken lightly.

Some women would end their pregnancies, others wouldn't, the same as other disabilities found in utero.

in her opinion a gene is responsible for asd.

My DSiL and my DGS1 are both on the autistic spectrum so I am not surprised at this opinion. As to whether my DD1 would have considered an abortion had she known that DGS1 would be neuro-diverse, I doubt it very much. I would hope that by knowing beforehand there would be more support in place for parents of neuro-diverse children.

When I was pregnant (40 years ago!) the worry was about having a spastic child (sorry don't know what the correct term is as the charity is called Scope). I was an older first-time Mum but we decided that because the test would have had a higher chance of miscarriage than a child born disabled I would not have the test. Even if the test was positive I'd decided I wouldn't abort. Luckily for me she was born fine although as an adult she has discovered she is neurodiverse herself with ADHD.

Sorry I should have written 'Down Syndrome' not spastic. Heat is addling my brain.

What is the line for quality of life? Eg does someone with ASD who is non verbal, will never be independent and struggles with sensory overload everyday have a 'good' quality of life? Just as with DS it's a huge spectrum and you don't know until the baby is born or even much later how severely they will be affected.

I'm not saying that every fetus with ASD should be terminated and doing a screening wont happen anytime soon. But the question of what constitutes a high enough quality of life, if that is the argument to be used, isn't a black and white one.

Personally, I believe the whole should be considered. If the parents choose to abort in any circumstance it is absolutely the right choice. No woman should be forced to give birth.

Without being in that situation, I find this difficult to answer, but I think I would be swayed towards aborting (please don't come at me for this opinion, I'm just being honest).
I would be too worried that a child with ASD would have too much of a negative impact on our current family unit in some very meaningful ways. If it was sever enough for them to require care, possibly be violent etc, then I couldn't do it. My support network wouldn't be able to cope with that and we'd lose out too much financially that everyone would suffer. Also, I don't know how I'd cope emotionally and mentally.

I know there are so many positives too and it would break me to have to abort any wanted child, but could I cope? Could I be a good mum? Could I give the child enough? I think I would crumble. I just don't think I would be strong enough.

Wouldn't it have a huge impact on the development of the world? Look at Silicon Valley. I would take a guess that those developing the Covid vaccine had an above average rate of autism.

I read somewhere that an incompatible neanderthal gene may be responsible for autism. Probably Bs but an interesting theory.

I probably get hanged drawn & quartered... but I would abort.

I would just worry about the childs care once I am gone. But then I am witnessing the dilemmas first hand with my disabled uncle (73). He had cares while living with family- it was his mother's dieing wish for him not to go into some care home for the disabled.

Once his parents couldn't care for him anymore the care fell to the oldest sibling - my dad or better my mum. Once my mum couldn't do it anymore- dad passed away and due to family dynamics the care fell to his youngest sibling. Now this sibling was getting old and frail, and their daughter took over the care. She simply couldn't cope and the uncle ended up in a home after all.

So the sad fact is, his parents are gone, his siblings are gone and his nephew and nices are unable to care for him. Not something I would want for my child.

I'm just saying what ds doctor said. Although from my own very basic research that's the impression i got.

I have an autistic son and we know several downs syndrome children, I would never ever abort on those terms. Yes my son can be difficult but the way he loves and lives with joy is so special.