"Mr. and Mrs. Goodparent, I think you should be very relieved that you decided to have the testing done. However, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your child has a very serious genetic disorder. He will be born without a spine, will be very severely retarded, and will probably live only two years. You can choose to have this child and see what happens, or we can terminate the pregnancy now if you feel it would be better."
"Well, of course it wouldn't be good to terminate the pregnancy, but it might be better than to bring a child into the world who will only know pain. Will he be able to be a person? I mean, will he be able to laugh and smile and know us as his parents?" Mrs. Goodparent asked the doctor.
"I'm afraid not. He will be in a vegetable-like state and might be blind and deaf."
"Well, do we have time to talk it over for a week or so?" asked Mr. Goodparent.
"Yes, you have about two weeks to decide. Please let me know if I can be of any help. And once again, I'm sorry. I hate days like these, but I am also somewhat thankful so at least you, the parents, can know and have the opportunity to make a decision," replied the doctor.
"Mr. and Mrs. Superficial, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. We tested your child's gene sequence and found that your daughter will be obese."
"Ohmigod, that's terrible! I wanted a son! Honey, we really need someone to carry on my family name. Not only that, but obese? We can't bring an obese girl into the world. She will have no chance at a future," were Mr. Superficial's thoughts on the matter.
"Well, honey, let's not jump to any conclusions just yet. Let's talk with some other parents before we decide," replied his wife, Mrs. Superficial.
Mr. and Mrs. Goodparent met with Bruce Pacht, the director of United Developmental Services.
"I guess what you're going to have to do is form your own definition of quality of life and decide whether or not your child will have a chance at one," said Mr. Pacht.
"Well, I would want my child to know his family, to have friends, to understand what's going on around him, to be able to learn... It wouldn't matter to me if he was not able to work or earn money all his life," said Mr. Goodparent.
"Don't forget dignity. I want my child to have dignity and be proud," replied his wife.
After a lot of soul searching and discussion, the Goodparents decided they could not bring a child into this world who would know only pain and would not be able to have a good "quality of life" by their definition. The following week, the pregnancy was terminated.
"I was thinking we could go talk to the Fools. I think they encountered the same situation we did," said Mr. Superficial. Mr. and Mrs. Superficial drove to the Fool's house.
"Yes, we had the gene sequencing done, and we found out that our child was going to have breast cancer in thirty years or so. We didn't want her family to have to handle all those medical bills so we went ahead and terminated," said Mrs. Fool. "Have you talked to the Snobs? They learned their son would have an IQ less than 100 and might even have some learning disabilities. (Everyone gasped) They decided to terminate immediately."
The next day, the Superficials aborted the baby. The following week, Mrs. Superficial went through major grief and depression and went to her church to seek peace with herself.
Although the Goodparents were upset about having to abort their child, they knew they had done the right thing. Mrs. Goodparent was so content in her decision, she became an advocate for prenatal testing. She appeared in the following conference of parents-to-be to answer their questions regarding prenatal testing:
"Do you believe doctors should be required by law to perform genetic screening?"
"No, I don't. I believe it is the parents' child and the parents' decision. I also don't believe that the entire child's gene sequence should be read. Right now I am working with a team of doctors to get a specific list of genetic disorders that can be tested for. The list will not include things like obesity, IQ level, or even Huntington's disease. Although that is a horrible thing to have, it does not affect the person until they have lived for at least 20 years. I'm 25 and if I was to be diagnosed with Huntington's tomorrow, I would be so thankful that I have had the chance to live for these 25 years. Yes, dying at that age would be terrible, but it's better than never living. The list of disorders that we come up with will be available to parents and they can decide what they want to test for. Doctors will not be allowed to test for anything else; if they do, they will be sued for malpractice and most likely will lose their medical license. Oh, and the list will be subject to changes and updates. However, it will only include disorders that will occur and will cause detrimental effects to the child during the first two years of life."
"We would like to have testing done, but we can't afford it. Can insurance cover it?"
"Unfortunately, not right now, but we're working on finding government funds for government funded clinics that can and will do prenatal testing for everyone who wants it. So much extra money is floating around Washington, and this way, insurance companies will not have access to the results of the tests and cannot cancel a family's coverage."
"All this testing stuff sounds like more trouble than it's worth. Is it really necessary?"
"To some people, no, and they may choose not to have it done. I believe it is though. It allows the family to begin mentally and financially preparing if the child is to be born with a defect. It also allows the parents to go ahead and set up appointments after the child is born and be able to begin medical treatment immediately. It also just gives parents the freedom to know and decide if they can and will care for their child."
Meanwhile, Mrs. Superficial is having her own conversation with God.
"I'm sorry, God, I just wanted my child to be a dream come true. I wanted perfection."
"You can't forget that I am God and that humans are not. I did not intend for humans to know everything about everyone. I have a plan for everyone, a plan that happens for a reason. The reasons are often strange, but they are necessary. Many times, I am testing you. A child is not something you can cultivate and design; you can't forget the magic and the miracle that comes with creating a child. Whether your child is a 120 pound doctor or an 800 pound waitress, I gave you your child to love. It is my present to you."