Deafness is medically defined by the dimension loss of functional hearing and by reliance upon clear communication. In this case, Andre and Jan is a deaf couple who wish to have a deaf child like themselves. They believe that if their child is born with this problem, it would not be challenging for their child but more comfortable because they will be able to empathize and help the child since they have the same problem. They believe living in a community that is diverse with other deaf individuals will help them lead to a better life. They see the objectives of being deaf as naturally beneficial. In reality it poses a huge ethical dilemma for parents only to have deaf children. Deaf Couples are afraid to have healthy children because they have extreme views their lives would be much more difficult to maintain. Their mindset is entirely different from other societal aspects. Deaf couples desire to conceive a baby with a disability of being deaf.
A deaf couple is trying to conceive, but they are having trouble doing so. They are requesting the help of medical professionals to facilitate a deaf child, so they are hesitant of going through with artificial insemination because it will most likely lead to giving birth to a non-hearing child. The parents are considering using a deaf sperm donor to increase the chances of a deaf child. The actions of the parents can be perceived as blind because they deliberately deny regular sperm donors for the sake of conceiving a deaf child. They would rather have a deaf child because they believe it will be easier for them to raise. Besides, they do not believe in the importance of having a healthy child as they are focusing on their needs before that of an unborn child.
They know ultimately that having a child that can hear would be great but having a deaf child will allow them to feel closer to the child. They will like a deaf child so that they can grow up in a deaf community. The child could also relate to them thus it being more comfortable for them to raise. The same concepts and ideas can be accepted. If the parents end up having a child that can hear instead of being deaf, counseling them on how to handle this situation instead of feeling in denial about it will lead to the child living the best life it can live, no matter if he/she heard or deaf.
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According to Wendell, disability was a significant concern. A lady with a wheelchair went for an interview as a typist at an office. She was the most skillful typist that applied to this job. Her issue was that she needed the wheelchair to perform her job duty, but according to the place they said the office doesn’t have space to due to how the building was made and for them to do so they would have to remake the structure to hire a wheelchair person which would be expensive. So that was considered discrimination for not hiring because she was disabled. She wasn’t discriminated by her race but by her disability of being in a wheelchair that affected her. So to the case, if the deaf parents end up having a healthy child if he/she goes to a regular public school and the classmate tease their parents for being deaf which is considered discrimination.
Most of the time when a child is born deaf, the parents are unaware of it. What they usually find out their child is deaf when they undergo audiologic testing around the age of 1 when the child is supposed to be doing normal functions. Once they are diagnosed as being deaf, some parents are initially devastated as they have a sense of guilt, shame, and fear of how their child was born. They are emotionally incapable of understanding the child’s diagnosis which often leads to some parents never leaving this state of mind. In result, it leads to permanent damage for the child’s future educationally and emotionally as the parents are continuously in denial. If the parents are counseled on how to deal with their emotions and how to proceed beyond the diagnosis, then they would be able to give the child. The care that it needs and would be able to provide them with access to different methods of acquiring language so that they can understand the world rather than limiting them because of personal emotions.
Most deaf parents have a possibility of having a healthy child. Sterilizing deaf people, forbidding or performing a forced abortion to avoid a deaf child is just wrongful. It is very rare when parents want an actual deaf child. In journal form In one’s Image “Ethics and the Reproduction of Deafness” says “It is wrong to pass on disability to one’s offspring intentionally.”
Even though insemination is an easy and archaic method of assisting couples in a complex reproductive, it has an adverse effect. A woman would take a drug that induces the ovulation. The drug carries risk. These risks have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, ovarian enlargement, and the possibility ovarian cysts may occur. This is unethical because it violates a principle of ethics. Non-maleficence avoiding the cause of harm, this procedure is might be beneficial but it is causing harm to the individual.
Another aspect of this ethical dilemma is from the Catholic Church. The Church would disagree with this type of medical innovation, which poses a questionable dilemma in the modern world of science and religion. Where do you draw the line at playing God? According to the ‘Dignitas Personae’ (2008), the Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith vehemently objects to IVF for a multitude of reasons including grounds such as the created embryos have low survival opportunities. Some other Christian denominations may accept the need for IVF in the modern world, however, others like many Catholics would consider this playing God and in particular deliberately interfering with science to create a deaf child for the convenience of their parents a step too far in the advancements of medical science being used in a morally questionable way.
Overall I believe deaf parents should be blessed with their child no matter what disability they are born with. You shouldn’t be selfish in the issues of how your child is born. The only concern you should have is whether your child comes out healthy. Not a lot of people can make babies so they should be thankful to have one. Having a healthy child is a good thing, and it will teach you a lot and parents can learn to cope with them. Counseling can help them, and a healthy child can learn sign language so he/she can communicate with their deaf parents. This is where the balance will come. Today there are other disabilities children are born with, and it’s not only deaf. Parents would cope with them and teach them the values of life.
References
- http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20081208_dignitas-personae_en.html
- https://academic.oup.com/jdsde/article/10/4/426/363406
- http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-91992011000400002
