I did not go and read the article that was in the initial post. But this thread bothers me significantly. The idea that we should be telling individuals if they should have kids or not because of their genetic makeup disgusts me. The idea makes me ill. I am sure many of us here come from families where there is a history of significant mental illness. Does that mean we should not have been born? If you come from such a family, and you are for controlling the reproductive rights of others with genetics that people would think of as less desirable, you are asking for a double standard. My parents had three kids. One of us had a genetic disorder that required recessive genes from both of my parents. I suffer from mental illness. Does that mean we should not have been born? While this has made life challenging for both of us, that does not mean that our lives do not have value. We are both successful professionals. Should I not have kids because I might be a carrier of the same disorder my brother has, and the father of my child(ren) could also be a carrier and not know it as it is recessive? Just in case it might happen?

Who decides what children shouldn't be born? Who decides which disorders are "too awful" to be passed on? Is it the one we don't have a cure for or a treatment for today, but may have a treatment for down the road? Where does it stop? If we were talking about a physical disorder, would this even be an issue. Who would suggest that families who carry the gene that puts people at risk for Diabetes-Type I or breast cancer shouldn't be allowed to have kids? This idea would be considered barbaric. Illness is part of the human condition. It is something that has to be dealt with. Suggesting that individuals should not have control over their own bodies makes me sick. For all the examples of where there are families where trouble has progressed from generation to generation, there are more where people have been able to succeed. Illnesses that have previously thought to have been death sentences have been treated in the last 30 years, who is to say that in the next 30 years disorders that are considered death sentences today wont be able to be treated?

Why can't we say that the solution to illness and mental disorders is to provide people with the treatment they need in a way that they can access it without worrying about if they are going to be able to pay, and addressing the stigma that is a large barrier to accessing treatment in the first place. If we are a supportive society, there is no need to talk about deciding who is worthy enough to be alive.

If someone came along and decided they didn't like one of your personality characteristics and decided that because of that, they would sterilize you or find some other way to prevent you from procreating, would you feel violated? If so, how can you suggest that this is okay to do to someone else?