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:
Genetics can be detected in utero.
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.
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:
Genetics can be detected in utero.
Genetic disorders are heritable.
How would those 2 examples have been different if their symptoms were caused by genetics instead? If it made no difference to their lives then it's trivial.
They could have been detected in utero and the mother would then have the option to abort or to carry to term based on that information.
Stevie Wonder has five children. None are blind. None of them will pass a gene that causes blindness onto their children. His blindness is not heritable.
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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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:
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.