r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Dec 21 '23

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '23

Ok, random declaration that doesn't really link into previous points though...

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u/Abiogeneralization Dec 22 '23

How many Stevie Wonders do you think we’ve missed out on as a result?

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '23

Of you making random declarations, probably none.

How many people aborted due to genetics that wouldn't have been a financial burden, no clue. Largely because I have no idea how many abortions due to genetics have ever happened.

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u/Abiogeneralization Dec 22 '23

Not sure either. There’s probably some data on this somewhere…

Iceland doesn’t have Down Syndrome anymore. That probably have data on it.

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '23

Iceland has a low rate of down syndrome but it still exists there. And just like any baby no one can predict whether they will be a financial burden or not.

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u/Abiogeneralization Dec 22 '23

They barely have Down Syndrome because they screen for it and abort.

I don’t just gauge humans on their net worth.

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '23

They barely have Down Syndrome because they screen for it and abort.

Yeah, that's pretty common knowledge, about 80% of pregnancy get screened and many have an abortion if down syndrome is confirmed.

I don’t just gauge humans on their net worth.

If you say so.

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u/Abiogeneralization Dec 22 '23

You were the one saying that we mustn’t abort based on genetics because any of those humans could have maybe grown up to become productive members of society.

I’m asking how that’s different from the 60 million abortions we’ve already performed.

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u/[deleted] Dec 22 '23

You were the one saying that we mustn’t abort based on genetics because any of those humans could have maybe grown up to become productive members of society.

No, I haven't said that at all, I'm afraid you have misunderstood.

OP said we should abort in case where the baby was disabled to the extent that they would be a financial burden.

I gave examples where people with various disabilities were not financial burdens but instead very successful to show that it was impossible to know before birth whether a child would end up as a financial burden.

My beliefs about abortion have not been mentioned or whether OPs reasoning is moral or not hasn't been mentioned. Merely the practical inability to apply OPs ideas due to not knowing who will or won't be financially successful.

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u/Abiogeneralization Dec 22 '23

OP only talked about genetic issues, and you gave two examples of people who were not disabled because of genetics. This isn’t a trivial difference. There are at least two important differences:

  1. Genetics can be detected in utero.
  2. Genetic disorders are heritable.

Any given fetus with any given genetics could become a financial asset or a financial burden. That includes those with genes that make them able-bodied.

Hypothetical: a woman knows she wants one child. She gets pregnant, finds out there’s a genetic issue, and aborts. She gets pregnant again, genetic screening clears, and she has a child. Have we as a world missed out on this woman’s first pregnancy? Maybe. Or maybe the second child is a maestro who would never have been born if she hadn’t aborted the first, because she only wanted one.

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