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Deafness, culture, and choice.

N Levy1

  • 1Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. nllevy@unimelb.edu.au

Journal of Medical Ethics
|October 3, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Choosing to have deaf children is ethically questionable, as deafness is not solely a social construct and cultural access does not require the condition. Compassion is urged for parents making this choice.

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Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Disability Studies
  • Sociology of Culture

Background:

  • A deaf lesbian couple's choice to have deaf children sparked ethical debate.
  • Deaf activists view deafness as a cultural identity, not a disability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the ethics of selecting apparent disabilities for offspring.
  • To examine the claim that deafness is solely a social construct.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical and ethical analysis of disability.
  • Sociocultural examination of deafness and cultural access.

Main Results:

  • Disadvantages of deafness are not exclusively social; some stem from the condition itself.
  • Access to deaf culture does not necessitate being deaf.

Conclusions:

  • Choosing deafness for children is a mistake, though understandable given parental experiences.
  • Ethical responses should prioritize compassion over condemnation.
Keywords:
Genetics and Reproduction

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