Fetal Screening

    Since life support became available, many families have faced the difficult decision of whether to allow their loved ones to live or to end their suffering.  Now this question can be asked even before birth.  Fetal screening is a new phenomenon which may forever change the way we think about disability and the value of life.  With considerable accuracy, doctors can now test the DNA of an unborn fetus through non-invasive means, so parents now have the choice to terminate a pregnancy if the child has a genetic defect.  Considerable accuracy is a relative term, however.  Those opposed to this technology argue that more testing must be done to ensure

that no fetuses are being aborted needlessly.  They also say that the testing also borders on eugenics, similar to the purification campaigns of the Nazis; many believe that discrimination against the disabled would increase with fewer disabled people around.  It is also discomforting for many to judge whether or not a life with a genetic disorder is worth living.  

     The upside to the technology, however, is that it gives couples a choice.  Many lack the means to raise a child who requires constant assistance, and some believe that if the child would suffer their entire lives anyway, it would be better to have an abortion.  Both sides of the argument are effectively presented in this article.

    I, personally, find the ability to end genetic defects a bit discomforting, and I do not think there is any way to judge the worth of someone's life.  I support this screening as a means of allowing early euthanasia of fetuses with severe defects which would kill them very early, but I would hate to see children with down syndrome being aborted in large numbers.  I support this technology, but very hesitantly.

Response: PTSD by James McGuire

  This post is in response to James McGuire's post, which discussed a medication for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition common to many soldiers and other individuals who have suffered a traumatic event.  These individuals commonly exhibit detachment, anxiety, and other emotional symptoms.

   James begins by describing PTSD, and states that there are facilities and a variety of treatments for the condition.  He then presents a drug called Propanolol, which degrades memories associated with strong emotion.  He delves into the controversy surrounding the use of this drug: while it effectively alleviates the effects of PTSD, it can also erase other emotional memories, perhaps even positive emotional memories.  This changes the individual taking the drug, drastically changing their personality.  James presents two articles, one listing the benefits of the drug and another listing its disadvantages.  He finishes his post by stating that he believes the choice of whether or not to take propanolol should ultimately be up to the affected individual.

  I thought that James effectively and fairly presented the controversy concerning the medication, an interesting topic which is not widely discussed.  We have a family friend who has served in Iraq and it might be interesting to hear what he has to say on the subject.  While James did not discuss the conventional treatments for PTSD, I have heard that they are fairly effective.  Some involve having the individual recall traumatic thoughts and then immediately medicating them to reduce anxiety and 'reprogram' the memory.  I am not sure if these drugs are similar to propanolol, or if they are milder.  Overall, I thought James chose an intriguing subject and presented it well.

Self Evaluation: Demonstration Speech

This post will be a self evaluation of my demonstration speech on break dancing, for which the link can be found here.

  Unfortunately, the video did not work properly on my computer, so I could only hear the audio.  That being said, I could still observe my diction, but I will have to judge my body language based on what I felt at the time.  I felt that I projected my voice clearly with ample volume, despite a little bit of coughing, but I caught myself saying "um" once or twice.  This has been a problem in the past, but it seems to have diminished in this speech.  This is something I will work on in my next speech.
 
  Although I was unable to observe my body language, while giving my speech I felt like I was presenting a relaxed and confident posture, belying my nerves.  Interestingly, I only felt nervous at the book ends of my speech, and I caught myself stuttering a couple of times, but for the most part I thought I dealt with it well.
 
  Unfortunately, I was forced to change the organization of my speech while I was giving it, due to the size restriction of the room and the subsequent lack of volunteers.  While I greatly appreciated that Joe volunteered, I expected more people to volunteer, and was planning on giving more specific instruction on the dance moves.  Since Joe felt to awkward to try the steps as the only volunteer, I could not help him to improve, consequently, my speech ended up being much shorter than planned.  One thing I could have improved on greatly is reiteration, which would have emphasized my point and lengthened my speech.