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Thanks for registering and posting.

I found your blog entry to be the most divisive thing I've read in a while actually, separating "Hearies" and "Deafies".

You entry pretty much confirmed my suspicions, the issue isn't about the child at all, it's nothing more than a political statement.

Most wouldn't say that deaf culture doesn't exist, and that it isn't valid and viable.

I think you missed the basic point of the issue though. Pretend there's a magic button that you can press to make an embryo deaf. Should it be ok to press that button? Yes or no, and why?

The answer shouldn't have anything to do with politics. Saying yes because deaf culture is marginalized (I have no idea if it really is or not, but it doesn't matter in this case) isn't the correct answer.

I also find it disingenuous that you accuse the article of sensationalism, yet whip out the Nazi card (not to mention all the odd capitalizations which further emphasizes the "us vs them" perspective).

"Eugenics" is directing of human evolution, and in and of itself cannot be good or bad. It's like saying a knife is evil. How it's used (or not used) is the issue.

In reality eugenics is already practiced by everyone (the old fashioned way by choosing your partner), but as technology advances we have to consider ethical issues such as this case.

In my personal opinion I think a parent that chooses to screen embryos looking for one that is hearing impaired above ones that aren't is doing something ethically wrong because they are doing so (I assume, correct me with the correct motivation if so) based on their personal desires and/or the desires of the deaf culture.

I realise it's a difficult issue, which is why I posed the question in the first place. Do I think that the freedom of an deaf individual should be limited in who they can procreate with? No, of course not.

But as a parent and as a person with my own challenges, I can say 100% that I do NOT want my child to have to deal with those same challenges. If I was a deaf parent, I would want my child to have the ability to hear and I would be happy they could hear.