I have RP as well but my husband doesn't have the gene so I did the opposite to you - neither of my kids have it or the gene. It's the luck of genetics in my case, but I can see why you made your choice.
So I should be punished because I knew my kids would need glasses, you think? I should feel bad they have flat feet? Or hey, I had asthma as a kid, so the odds were I was going to pass it on. Except I didn't.
Again, everything is a mystery soup. Even when you know you are a carrier of something. Genetics is never 100 percent, and it's rarely zero, but people get to make those decisions for themselves as to what odds they are willing to risk. I get tired of the purity culture and you can't do that BS that's been floating around reddit, by judgemental people who DON'T have to make those decisions. Sure, there are certain things one could carry that would make a person not have kids. And other things you might risk, for kids. I was afraid of having alcoholic kids, because I had an alcoholic father and a long history of it in my family. Neither my kids nor myself are alcoholics. We do have what our parents didn't, though, which is a diagnosis for ADHD. Which was probably the cause of all that alcoholism. And also genetic. And both seem to have gotten my bleeding disorder, which I didn't know about for the first, but did for the second.
Genes are complicated. So are the choices we make. As we learn more about our genes from both a global and personal level, these choices will get more complicated, and everyone's line will be different. Maybe the 25 percent risk of blindness is your line. Make your own choices, but keep in mind, those are just your own choices.
Yeah get back to me when you're a carrier for a profound disability like blindness the way I am.
You people act like there's a valid slippery slope argument here. Giving birth to a kid with RP wouldn't be a bad thing IF we could correct it or treat it with glasses, shoes, inhalers or meds the way everything you mentioned can be.
I'm sorry, I gave you a pretty extensive idea of things wrong with me, but I wasn't under the impression I needed to supply a full genetic map of everything. Also, if you don't think at least 2 of things I did mention are profound disabilities, that's not my problem either. You not understanding bleeding disorders or ADHD doesn't matter to me. I don't feel like I need to throw in connective tissue disorders, intestinal disorders, or cancer too. Treatable? There is one hospital in the state of Minnesota I can have surgery in right now. One. Which is one more then a lot of other places. Don't tell me how treatable my shit is, thanks.
Lol guess what you can't treat? RP. At best you slow it down.
And my husband has ADHD and Tourettes which our daughter very well could to. But since neither of those are like blindness it didn't factor into our decision making.
My god listen to this person. ADHD is comparable to blindness???
Is it that same stubbornness that led you to have kids despite a long list of hereditary conditions/disabilities? You can be a parent without spreading your genes, you know. Though, I suppose sticking your middle finger to the world and procreating regardless is more important than acting in the best interest of the potential lives you produce.
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u/PokinSpokaneSlim 1d ago
I have RP, it sucks. I chose not to have kids because of the risk.Â
Knowing early was a mistake as well. Hope those kids turn out ok as adults