Deaf By Design

Few days ago in my grade 12 bio class, we had a heated discussion about an article called "Deaf by Design".The issue evolved around a minority of people within a group of people with mutations in genes responsible for proteins called connexin 26 and connexin 30, the deaf people. In the Deaf community there are some who wants to have deaf babies just like themselves so they do genetic diagnosis and prenatal testings to make sure that they have a baby who inherited both copies of the mutated gene. So the question becomes 'is it right to let the deaf people have "disabled" babies on purpose?'

So I have created a summary of two opposing sides of the story... 

From the perspective of hearing people:

• the children did not have a choice in the decision, it is not fair and immoral for the children to have disabilities just because the parents wanted their children to be same as them
• for deaf people, it is harder to live in a world mostly full of hearing people and is mostly designed for hearing people
• by being deaf, it limits one's potential to get a job, to get a spouse, to communicate with people outside of the Deaf community or to merely have a normal life

Overall, hearing people are not hundred percent content that there are some people in Deaf community that are willing to let their children walk on more difficult road in life.

From the perspective of deaf people:

• even with the lack of hearing, deaf people live happy lives
• there is a tight community who supports each other like family and is more connected 
• there is no correct definition of "normal". Just because people can't hear does not mean they are not "normal" or cannot live "normal" lives
• deaf people does not necessarily feel "disabled". To eyes of people who has been hearing for their entire lives, it may seem like a tougher life but people who are born deaf have no trouble living as a deaf person
• it is a discrimination against "disabled" people if the society allows to abort "disabled" babies but not "normal" babies
• if deaf couple has a hearing baby, it is so easy to feel disconnected with their child because the child can easily block out the parents

Overall, deaf people feels as if there is nothing wrong with being deaf, in fact, it will create more intimate bond between the child.

It may be true, to some degree, that deaf people will have harder time in life. However, it is not because they have a mutated gene, it is because the society that we live in is more acceptable to hearing people, the "normal" people.