Sperm donor was AS
I think a lot of parents don't get "what they asked for." A baby is not a product. The idea of designer babies makes me sick.
Also, if these parents believe vaccines cause autism then they wouldn't be worried as they would believe it's not inherited.
It makes you sick and to be fair it is potentially very bad for human diversity in the long long term but right now its a parents' right to choose as long as theyre not opting to give their child a disability which is sick and twisted. The point is that these parents for whatever reason want a high likelihood of a healthy child. They may meet the conditions I listed. Maybe theyre old and infirm themselves. What Charloz did cannot be justified
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I don't think recipients of donated sperm have a right to this option nor do I think they have a right to have babies designed to their liking. These parents have a contract with the bank. If they don't get what the contract stipulated then they can sue. But there's no moral obligation on the part of the donor.
Color it anyway you want, but when I hear "I can't tell everything because I am afraid to lose her" I know there is a problem. The specific doesn't matter, it is the thought process.
When you start talking forever you can no longer hold anything back. Except irrelevant dead and buried history - no one needs to know the details of past sexual exploits.
I hear so much woe on these forums about broken relationships, so why wouldn't I give fair warning when I see a glowing red flag? It would have been a disservice not to say it. Anyone holding on that tight is harming their own prospects for a healthy relationship. Again, this is less about the fact the withhold is the word Aspergers than about the comments made as to why, and the fear expressed about saying something that would mess things up.
If you are worried about the misinformation out there then provide the right information. I'm not talking about a third date conversation. I'm talking about an "I don't want to lose her" conversation.
And you can bet that I most definitely DO know what I'm talking about when it comes to the essentials for a healthy relationship. I have so been there done that and seen pretty much everything.
Yeah, I know, I just don't think it's very good advice is all.
It is a problem, but not always a relationship one, or a problem with Aspergians.
Well, we can agree to disagree. I said what I thought the OP needed to hear. But every situation is unique.
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Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
My suspicion as well. Not only the OP, but some of the others supporting the "crusade".
He has posted in other topics in ways that don't seem trollish.
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Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
When you start talking forever you can no longer hold anything back. Except irrelevant dead and buried history - no one needs to know the details of past sexual exploits.
.....
If you are worried about the misinformation out there then provide the right information. I'm not talking about a third date conversation. I'm talking about an "I don't want to lose her" conversation.
And you can bet that I most definitely DO know what I'm talking about when it comes to the essentials for a healthy relationship. I have so been there done that and seen pretty much everything.
when is a good time?
I am afraid of telling any woman I date about it too soon, or at all. I have what is probably an irrational fear of it. I would need to trust them and have gotten to know their mindset on this stuff. are they open to stuff or close minded. I've been told a lot and read a lot growing up about how bad aspies are and how women should avoid them like the plague. I don't want to tell them too soon and have them run away.
I dont' come off as a aspie though. most people think i'm normal until I tell them. they just think i'm an introvert i guess.
The "best" time is not going to be an exact science, but there are many conversations where I think it might be logical to bring it up. If you are talking about life in elementary school, and that is when you were diagnosed, it could be natural to slip it in. If you are talking about fears related to having children, it could be natural to slip it in.
I consider the whole "do you want to have kids" conversation to be essential before marriage, but quite a few people forget to have that one, too - different wants in the family department is a common reason for divorce. All these important conversations should happen sometime while dating or shortly after getting engaged, but you also don't want to act as if you have a checklist, instead of letting conversations happen at a comfortable time and place. So ... I really don't think there is a set time other than, in my opinion, before you actually get married (but most certainly not intentionally withheld until after the wedding invitations have been sent).
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Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
I thought that the point of sex is to combine genes in as many possible ways. If you have as many different combinations of genes as possible, then it will be more able to adapt to outside changes.
It is the diversity of the gene pool that gives it strength, not the selective breeding of the "fittest" genomes.
So excluding people on the basis of a genetic disorder is non-scientific and counterproductive.
It needs to be accepted that having a kid will always be a gamble.
As for the morality of doing this, what people don't seem to understand is that we on the Autistic Spectrum face an existential threat. Society in general is extremely bigoted against those on the spectrum, and instead of examining this bigotry, everybody on the Autistic spectrum is just labelled as diseased. If society remains this way, and the genes for Autism are identified, then the vast majority of Autistic babies will aborted, just like 95% of downs syndrome babies are.
So I can understand why the OP has done this.
I would recommend the OP reads up on laws relating to sperm donation in his location, and consider moving if it leaves him open to being prosecuted or sued. I also think he should disclose his AS to his fiancee though. It would be a good way to test her love for the OP. If she chooses to leave him because of this, then the relationship was not meant to be. It's better to be single than be with someone who won't accept you the way you are.
I agree. It seems that things that we can contribute to society are underrated or not valued at all. It is hard to remain positive in a society that classes me as a burden to be borne and hopefully prevented in the future.
I agree. It seems that things that we can contribute to society are underrated or not valued at all. It is hard to remain positive in a society that classes me as a burden to be borne and hopefully prevented in the future.
Regardless, lying when you donate sperm is not the way to fix the issue. In fact, I would argue, it will make it worse. Every family who raises an autistic child without having the right mindset, personality, and skills to do the job feeds the perception of doom and gloom.
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Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
Yeah, but once people start screening for anything eugenics has begun. Autism is not something to screen out. What if you could find out if a foetus will go on to develop cancer. Should it be aborted because of this? I find it strange that there is so much support of the demonization of autistic people on a support forum.
It's not about eugenics, it's not about demonizing autism, it's about betraying the trust of women with deception.
I think there are two questions here. First, whether or not a sperm bank should screen for something like autism. Second, whether or not an individual should lie/deceive, by withholding information.
This thread is about the latter. Not the former. Whether or not autism should be screened, IMO - should be the topic of another thread.
As a note, if my daughter was going to accept sperm from a sperm bank, I would certainly want to screen for everything, and then allow her to make an informed decision.
In this instance the two things are linked. What makes it dishonest is the assumption that autism is undesirable in offspring. I think this is a false premise and comes from a lack of understanding of what autistic people can contribute. By screening out autistic donors, these clinics are discriminating against the disabled. It's private not public so ces't la vie. But I don't think this is a good precedent.
With respect to screening, I think there are at least two questions:
#1 ? What criteria can a Sperm Bank legally use to screen out potential donors?
#2 ? Does a Sperm Bank recipient deserve full disclosure?
I agree with you on #1. That anyone should be able to make a deposit, with full disclosure.
We may disagree on #2. I think the recipient deserves full disclosure.
Of course, in a couple of years, none of this will matter. As the specimen will be accompanied by a full gene sequencing report.
This is very much about eugenics, as it is nothing more than window shopping for the genetics that suit what you want and expect. Where do we set the boundary for genetic selection and the 'trust' that people will disclose these? Autism, anxiety, dyslexia, ADD, albinism, freckles, blue eyes, blond hair? This is a very slippery slope which I very much oppose. There is already screening for serious birth defects and conditions, anything beyond that is simply eugenics that is more often than not being fed by pure ignorance. Ignorance such as the commonly shared notion that a person with autism is somehow worse than a person without autism.
For one my parents had a much easier time raising me than my older brother, whom was kind of an uncontrollable rascal. Even though our day and night differences we were great friends and siblings. I was classified autistic and he was classified normal, does that say anything about us? No, we are both human beings in our own way and our parents loved both of us regardless. He ended up fine in the end and so will I, and so will most people with autism. Sure I deal with emotional issues, I deal with frustration, I deal with disappointment but I also deal with a lot of happy times. If it were for a eugenics dominated society I wouldn't have ever existed, I do not ever want to see a society where it is agreed that people such as I have no right to be born.
A child shouldn't treated like a product that you can just buy, expecting it to be as you want it and have no flaws. If you can't or do not want to take care of a child with flaws you shouldn't be having children in the first place. Even with the 'perfect' genetics things still can and do go wrong on a daily basis. What parents should really be asking themselves is if they can provide the utmost love, care and soul for the child. In the end what is important that a child is healthy and happy. I get sick in my stomach when people say "I wish it will turn out to be girl", "I wish he will have pretty blue eyes and blonde hair like his father", "I wish she will be very intelligent like her mother", as if any of these were not to be true the parents would be disappointed. And yes, there are plenty of parents that are greatly disappointed that their son or daughter turned out to be autistic, I find it utterly sickening that people can think this way.
So you think t shouldn't screen out donor's with heart defects or genetic blindness/deafness? or they shouldn't inform recipients just so a political point can be made?
(edited to fix hear-t)
Last edited by riley on 12 Sep 2014, 11:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.