Is it fair to abort a physically/mentally handicapped child before he/she is born?

I think it is fair to let every child, handicapped or not, have a chance to live. In fact, handicapped children can be the nicest sweetest people you have ever met. The only way I would say "abort" is if there is no chance of the child living outside the womb and if the mother's life is in danger.

And so sorry that you're friend is in this predicament. It is only a question that the mother and father can answer. Personally, I feel life can be tough enough for kids who are born with no health issues.

For children with difficulties it can be twice as hard, sometimes twice as cruel. But there are always exceptions of course. But with regards to yourself.

You may not be able to answer your friends question, but you might be able to help her come to her own decision. Ask her what she feels her instincts are telling her? Ask her to write down her feelings and thoughts if this helps.

But at the end of the day she is the only one who can make the final decision. For your sake, you need to give the question and the responsiblity back to her - not unkindly. But when she asks, you should gently turn it around and simply say to her 'what do you think?' In this way she is the one who has to make the choice, not someone else.

Secondly it puts the burden - horrible as it is - back to the only person who can make a choice. This doesn't mean that you are not supporting her or that you are uncaring. But she has to realise that no one can make this decision for her.

They can support her. Help her to work out her feelings. But the end decision has to be hers.

Hope this helps and bit and lots of luck to you and your friend.

I think that is a question that only the mother can answer as we all have our own opinions but at the end of the day it is the parents that have to live with their choice. If it was a good friend of mine then I would just tell them that whatever their decision was I would support them. Personally I always thought that I could not cope with a handicapped child but now there is a possibility that might happen (just purely due to the likelihood at my age) I am not so sure I could go through with an abortion.

I think it is not only morally right but it is just the right thing to do period. Bringing a child into this world who is born majorily handicapped is wrong if you can prevent it. I realise it isn't an easy thing for a parent to do but it is even harder to watch a child suffer every day just because your morals say abortion is wrong.

That is a very hard decision to make for a woman. Especially if the baby will be handicapped. Are they sure the baby will be handicapped, what if it's not.

There have been instances where a doctor has told them that their baby will have special needs, and the mother kept baby. The babies came out fine.

Tough question. I think it's the same as with euthanasia, and people still debate about it. The parents will have to make their own decisions, because, as what Butterfly67 had said, it's them who have to live with their choice.

However, I believe that their decisions should entirely be for the benefit of the unborn child, not theirs. Do they really think the child doesn't want to be born? Are they worried about the child?

What is the handicap? Is it possible for the child to live a full life with the handicap? Can the child overcome the handicap?

Or are the parents afraid of the responsibilities they'll have to face? Are they ashamed of having a child with disabilities? Are they worried about the expenses?

If their reasons are mostly about themselves, I don't think it's fair to the child to be aborted.

I'd always thought, until recently, that I'd be for aborting in this type of situation until I saw a young adult on t.v. Recently with no arms and no legs, speaking passionately about Bible. He had a huge smile on his face and facially speaking, he was attractive.

Not an ugly guy at all. That totally challenged my long held belief system. He appeared extremely happy to be doing what he was doing.

Then on the same channel, I saw an older guy with no arms, playing the guitar, effortlessly and beautifully with his toes and feet. I don't know about you, but that made me think all over again about what I would do. So I'd have to now cash in on this one as an undecided.

If your freind is doing it for the child so he/she dosent have to suffer then yes you will always feel guilt from any abortion that is to be expected but if she doing it just to make life easier on herself then its wrong im realy sorry for the hard times.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.