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Birth Defects Essays

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Birth Defects

No one is immune to birth defects, yet not everyone is equally susceptible.
Birth defects are not merely a medical problem. They have profound effects on the social and psychological well being of their family and friends.
In the normal course of fetal development, cells migrate to their appropriate destination so that organs and limbs form where they should. Usually, the genes perform flawlessly, but mistakes can and do occur. Some of the most common birth defects results from the interaction between one or two abnormal genes out of 100,000 that make up who we are. This is caused by the genes parents pass on or effected by drugs and alcohol upon the fetus of a new born child. Down's syndrome, the most common genetic …show more content…

Over the next few years, he gradually became paralyzed and blind. Finally, he became so affected that he was completely unaware of anything or anyone around him. Then, just before his fourth birthday, he died. (Gravelle 56).

" About one in three hundred people carries this disease, but carriers are ten times more common among mid and eastern European Jews" (Gravelle 56). This devastating disease has a tremendous emotional effect on the parents. From day one they watch their beautiful healthy child grow up and live a normal life.
Their child could live a normal life for three to four years without any symptoms. And then with no warning their normal way of life changes dramatically as they watch their child suffer a slow traumatizing death. Along with watching their child, they also have to face their new life. They now have to sent most of their time and money on the child, but how ? If they both take off work who will pay for all the doctor bills. If one takes off work who should it be? Physical breakdowns are a major component facing parents as the deal with all this added pressure. Their life will consist living around hospitals and live in nurses which many might get to help cope with the child. Their sex life changes. Most of the time parents feel dirty or diseased them selves causing intimacy to stop and from this, parents soon grow farther apart. Their are

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