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uninformed advice
by Bayden3322
+1/-1 Reply
Bad advice Prudence - You obviously have no idea what it's like to not know your biological family. She doesn't even mention what her and her parents blood types were and Prudence just jumps to the conclusions that she must be so stupid that she can't even do researh on the internet first to see if it's impossible. Then, even emotional connections aside, knowing one's medical history is extremely important. I do not know any of my medical history, but I have hypertension at age 26. I'd really like to know if I have a history of heart disease. I am a female. I'd like to know my risks of breast cancer. I'd like to know my risks for Parkinson's and Huntington's and wether I'm a possible carrier for genetic diseases. History and health are too important for the blase attitutide they are addressed with.
Re: uninformed advice
by MOH-74
Ms Emily is queen of the flippant, uninformed response. She's here to entertain and garner readership for Slate, no more.
Re: uninformed advice
by magicienne

If you know that you do not have your family's medical history then it is important for you to make sure you have regular check ups with your doctor. To watch your weight in case you might have a higher likely hood of diabetes, heart disease or obesity. But how will knowing that you have a family history of parkinsons change something for you? At this point I don't think there is something preventative you can do to avoid it. Since you don't know your risk for cancer make sure you get regular tests, ask for a mammogram earlier then women with no risk, get regular pap smears and eat right. Wouldn't that be what you would do if you had the genetic disposition anyway?

Maybe before you have children you might want to get tested to make sure you don't carry Tay Sachs or Sickle Cell, I think medical history can be overrated. Just try to be healthy.

Next, let me quick touch on your comment about "emotional connections aside." I don't know if you were adopted or in foster care for years but an adopted family can have the same emotional connection that a biological family can have. I am planning to adopt children and I will love them as much as if I have my own and I am positive that my family will do the same because I already know they do. My cousin married a woman who already had a four year old from a previous relationship. The little girl was a flower girl in my wedding, my grandmother brings her just as many toys as she does the ones who are "biologically" related to her. My cousin, her adoptive father, treats the girl like her own, I would expect to do the same with any adoptive children and I would expect no less from any family...

Re: uninformed advice
by MOH-74

Your comments are from the perspective of the ADOPTER not the ADOPTEE. You HOPE your adopted child will be so close to you as to develop not the least bit of interest in their biological origins. What are you going to do when they want to know where they came from in spite of your best efforts?

Why does it have to be either/or? I thought human love was boundless, that loving one person did not diminish the love for another. We tell our children this all the time. "I love you sweetie, and I will love you just as much when the new baby is born." And it's true. Why can't that work in reverse? Why can't a child love multiple sets of parents without the love for one diminishing the love for another? In these days of kit-bashed families of all shapes and sizes, that theory should be easy to prove. Problem is the parents have to LET the kids love someone else. That's not easy to do.

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