Lesbians: We made our baby deaf on purpose by James Langton in New York A deaf lesbian couple have admitted deliberately creating what are believed to be the world's first designer handicapped babies. The two women tracked down a deaf sperm donor to ensure that their daughter, who is now five, would inherit the same inherited hearing disabilty that they both share. The couple were so pleased with the result that they have just had a second child, called Gauvin, using the same technique. Doctors who examined the boy say he is completely deaf in one ear and has only partial hearing in the other. In an interview with the Washington Post, the women - Sharon Duchesneau, who gave birth, and Candace McCullough, her lesbian lover - say that they believe deafness is "an identity not a medical affliction that needs to be fixed". They were so desperate to have children who share their handicap that the women asked their local sperm bank to provide a deaf donor, but were told congential hearing loss immediately disqualifies candidates. Instead they turned to a deaf male friend for help, producing what they call their first "perfect baby" - their five-year-old daughter Jehanne. Before their son was born, the women said: "A hearing baby would be a blessing; a deaf baby would be a special blessing.'' Both women, who are in their mid thirties, belong to a radical school of thought that believes deafness is a "cultural identity" not a handicap. They want their children to share the same "experiences" including learning, sign language and going to special schools for the deaf. They also consulted a "genetic counsellor" before getting pregnant who told them that with Miss Duchesneau's background, that includes four generations of deafness on her mother's side, any child conceived with a deaf sperm donor would have a 50 per cent chance of having the same handicap. After their daughter's first hearing test, the couple wrote happily in her baby book: "Oct 11, 1996 - no response at 95 decibels - DEAF!'' Their daughter attends a special kindergarten for children with hearing problems. After tests on their baby son showed he also had severe problems, they decided against giving him a deaf aid in the one ear that still has some hearing, saying they will leave the decision to him when he is older. The couple's behaviour has appalled children's rights groups in the United States. The conservative Family Research Council said their decision to "intentionally give a child a disability" was "incredibly selfish". The council's spokesman, Fred Connor, said: "These women are taking the idea of creating so-called designer babies to a horrible new level.'' Even a leading member of the American National Association for the Deaf, Nancy Rarus, said she "can't understand why anyone would want to bring a disabled child into the world".
I find it very selfish on the mothers part for wanting this : "They want their children to share the same experiences including learning, sign language and going to special schools for the deaf."
Not only is this terrible on its own, but it will probably be used as propagada for opposing gay parenthood. I wonder if the child would have any legal recourse against her parents. Probably not, but it would be nice.
i cant wait until the child is old enough to learn about what her parents did to her...then she can give them the finger and disown them...
this sickened me: After their daughter's first hearing test, the couple wrote happily in her baby book: "Oct 11, 1996 - no response at 95 decibels - DEAF!"
I have some friends who work their asses off for HRC. I hate to see all their hard work and effort hamstrung by a couple of morons.
Misguided is the best I can say about them there are plenty of other words I'd like to use, but I honestly think they don't know any better.
Some people shouldn't reproduce. But it's not just them, it's also the idiot who donated his sperm!! I'd think he was in on it as well . . .
Unbelievable. I wouldn't know where to start, but how about Mozart, Bach, the Beatles, nursery rhymes, Captain and Tenille (oops, scratch that last one...that was part of the couple's argument, not mine ).
There's a huge rift in the deaf community in regards to viewing deafness as a medical condition that can be cured. There are deaf parents who refuse to get cochlear implants & other new forms of surgery for their children, because they feel that it somehow diminishes (or could eventually eliminate) the "deaf culture" they hold so dear. They view deafness much the same way others view race, or sexuality - something they were born with that's a huge part of their identity. Here's some info from a great pbs show on the issue: http://www.pbs.org/saf/1205/features/cochlear.htm Personally, I couldn't imagine having the means to provide a loved one with the ability to hear & not doing it, out of purely selfish reasons.
Is Deafness considered Natural? *sigh* will this be like Female Circumsision etc.? This is beyond beleives. Rocket River
