Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Is it acceptable for a sibling to offer bone marrow to another sibling suffering from a blood disorder? Is it acceptable to create a child who can donate cord blood at birth for the same person?
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14 comments:

  1. lindaSeptember 28, 2010 at 2:23 PM

    Having a sibling help another sibling would be acceptable. Children with diseases like lukemia have a better chance of survival when they can receive a bone marrow transplant. My cousin had AML (lukemia) and received one of these transplants that prolonged his life, even though he did pass away later. However, having a child for the purpose of being a donor for a sibling can be kind of controversial. Some people can argue that this child would not be given the same amount of love and care and may be 'used' just for that purpose. I guess it is okay for parents to take this route, but being sure it is the right decision for them and their family is important before making this choice. Though it's fiction, Jodi Picoult's book 'My Sisters Keeper' is about a child born for this reason, and about her fight with her parents over the rights to her own body.

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  2. TanyaOctober 4, 2010 at 7:34 PM

    I think that it is acceptable for a sibling to offer bone marrow to another, because it can really help with whatever complications he/she is facing. I also feel that 'creating' another child who is capable of being a donor is ok, because if the parent's were going to have another baby anyway, then why not let him/her save his/her siblings life? However, I feel that parents should be cautious and not create a donor baby for the sole purpose of sustaining another child. Like Linda said, this is what occured in My Sister's Keeper, and although it is just a book, it provides an insight into how parents can be so blinded by love that they are willing to overlook one child in favor of another. Before having another child, parents need to realize that it is another responsibilty and that the child cannot be forced to donate body tissues on a regular basis.

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  3. Sarah KOctober 5, 2010 at 3:17 PM

    My Sister's Keeper offers one insight into how a person's life can be if they are "created" for the purpose of saving a sibling. However, everyone's life is different. It would really be up to the parents to make sure that the both children know that they're important and loved for who they are and not what they do. It could make someone feel really special and important to be the one to save their siblings' life, but maybe not. However, we ask random strangers to donate blood, platelets, bone marrow, etc for us. As long as parents don't expect a sibling to donate organs I don't really see what the problem is. If you would do it for a stranger why not a sibling?

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  4. TanyaOctober 5, 2010 at 6:04 PM

    I think that it;s more about being given the choice to donate or not. When a couple chooses to have a doner baby, that child, as a minor, has no say in his/her medical treatment until the age of 18. Because of that, some parents can ask the child to donate an organ against their wishes. I think that everyone , regardless of age, should have the right to his/her own body and sometimes as a donor child, giving that responsibilty to a parent may be risky.

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  5. Gloria MOctober 5, 2010 at 8:57 PM

    I agree that it is acceptable to create a child to help save the life of a sibling as long as the parents are prepared to raise another child and child is treated the same. I agree with Tanya that everyone should have the right to his or her own body but I think that giving the responsibility to a parent is not risky in this case because the outcome helps save a life while not harming the child who donates.

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  6. kaylaOctober 7, 2010 at 10:59 AM

    Yes, I do think that it is acceptable for a child to offer bone marrow to a sibling. I don't see anything wrong with this. If the sibling who needs the bone marrow get it, and the other sibling who is donating it is healthy in the end then I dont see a problem. It should be the siblings choice to donate though, not the parents choice. I know if my sibling was in need of a bone marrow transplant I would greatfully give mine to them if it meant that they would live. I think there is nothing wrong with doing this.

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  7. HollyOctober 10, 2010 at 9:58 PM

    I agree with Kayla that it is acceptable for a child to offer bone marrow to a sibling. As long as the sibling understands what they are doing and how this will help their sister/brother. It should be the parent's responsibility to explain what will happen to them and how it will benefit the sibling. If I asked practically anyone I know if they would give their bone marrow for a sibling I honestly think that almost everyone would say yes. And for the other question, I think that as long as the parents promise to love and raise the other child that it is completely acceptable.

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  8. AnonymousOctober 11, 2010 at 8:45 PM

    If a family recognizes that there child needs a bone marrow transplant, than I think it is up to the family to decide whether or not it is responsible for them to have another kid, in order to potentially save their first. Beyond that though, I think its too hard to judge whether its acceptable or not. If the family REALLY was planning on having another kid, than people might judge them anyway even though they have no way of telling what the real intent of the family was. In my opinion if a family ever has to do this, Its only fair to the public and themselves to say that they were planning to have multiple kids in the first place. This attitude from the family can avoid controversy and help keep the family from being judged. My question is whether or not the family should tell the second child that he was born to give his brother or sister a bone marrow transplant? That is if the family had the child only for that reason.

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  9. Gloria MOctober 12, 2010 at 7:57 PM

    I think the child should know that by being born they saved the life of a sibling but it should not be phrased as only being born to save a life. Even if the parents only had the child to keep the other alive the parents should treat the child with equal love and care so the child will be able to understand. If phrased in a negative way, I think the child would feel degraded because they would begin to question if their parents even cared or wanted them in the first place. The child might question their sense of belonging and purpose. The child can think their birth was forced as a last resort to keep their sibling alive. The parents would basically harm their child because every human needs a sense of belonging.

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  10. Nicole BOctober 17, 2010 at 9:09 PM

    I believe that It is acceptable for a sibling to donate their bone marrow to another sibling in need. If it can save their life go for it. The problem is when parents create a child to save the other one. I don't think a child should be made for these reasons. Children should be brought into the world because their parents want them not because they need another body to grab body parts from. I just don't think it's fair to the child that was "created".

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  11. TawnyOctober 18, 2010 at 8:19 PM

    I also think that a sibling donating bone marrow to save their brother or sister is acceptable. But when a parent creates a child who is geneticly capable of saving the life of an ill son or daughter i dont think that it is wrong or right. its not right because as nicole said a parent should only have a baby because parents want them and not to just to take stuff from them to give to their other child. But i dont necessarily think it is wrong either. None of us are parents so we wouldnt know what its like to hear that our child is going to die, and when some one gives you an option that might save their life like having another child who can donate blood and ect. to them then i think as a parent my instinct would be to do whatever it takes to keep my child alive.

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  12. Dr3wpDraw3rsOctober 20, 2010 at 9:25 PM

    Bone marrow transfusions are common between friends and family members... Sometime bone marrow doesn't even come from someone they know, but a Donahue with a matching type. With this in mind, how could it not be acceptable that a sibling donates their bone marrow for one of the closest in their family? While donating, there aren't many fatal risks from donating your bone marrow, and it can potentially save your brother or sisters life. Personally I see no harm in that. However; like many others that have posted here before I have, I disagree that birthing another child for the sake of a child is ethical. Obviously, creating a child in order only to save another, could creates rifts of favoritism, and neglect, for the baby that was their for one purpose... The other child. Even if this may not be true, isn't it possible that the following children might have the same defects as well?

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  13. Nicole BOctober 21, 2010 at 9:25 AM

    Going along with Dr3wpDraw3rs the following children could have the same defects if the couple has more children. But that would be dumb because they would now have to create more children to save the kids. I think if they were to create a child to save their first one they should stop at that. Even though that is unethical.

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  14. ChristineOctober 22, 2010 at 9:02 PM

    It's hard to say if these issues are considered ethical or unethical because the child that is born for the sake of the first child might not be neglected. It seems to me that many of you are concerned for the possibilty of the second child being neglected and not receiving enough attention because they were born to save the first child's life. As mentioned in one of the earlier comments, the family might've been planning for more children in the future and maybe decided that conceiving a child earlier than they wanted to could mean well for the sake of saving their other child's life. I don't see anything unethical about that. Also I agree with Sarah when she said, "If you would do it for a stranger why not a sibling?" Honestly, if I had the opportunity to save a random persons life, I would as long as it didn't harm me in a negative way. If many people in this world are willing to make the same choice as me, they will surely not mind donating a part of themselves to their blood-related sibling in order to save them from future sufferings. I see nothing wrong with having a child born for the sake of this reason if the parents were to treat both children the same way and not adore one child more than the other.

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