Re: Cheating Destiny (book excerpt)
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Posted by klausen on 12:24:54 2006/07/11
In Reply to:
Re: Cheating Destiny (book excerpt) posted by Renee
Your anecdotal lack of encounter with diabetic children of diabetic parents does not change the fact that male type 1s produce children with a risk 20 times higher than normal while women with type 1 produce children with a risk 12 times higher than normal of becoming type 1 diabetics. Since the genetic disposition to type 1 diabetes represents a heightened risk of all autoimmune diseases, the children are also exposed to greater chances of suffering multiple sclerosis, lupus, vasculitis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, etc.
As I wrote in one of my posts, the calculation of the risk/benefit ratio of having children depends on many factors. The seriousness of the disease, the chances of it being cured very soon, the degree of inheritability of the disease, the genetic loading of the potential parent (i.e., how diabetic is the extended family), the proven preventability of the disease all have to be taken into account. While everyone's calculation of what degree of risk would be acceptable will vary, in the case of type 1 diabetes it would be morally reckless to decide for another human being, who could not even be consulted for his or opinion, that the risk was worth taking.
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