My mother was horrified, of course. She told the nurse that the gene mutation that causes CF<\/a> wasn\u2019t discovered until 1989, three years after I was born. The nurse nodded, a silent signal that this was an acceptable reason. My mom pressed further, though, emphasizing that regardless of the results, she would have had me anyway; I\u2019m her child. The nurse finally seemed to realize how her question had come across.<\/p>\n Recommended Reading<\/p>\n I am more than my genetics<\/p>\n It\u2019s brazen to confront someone based on your own limited knowledge and understanding of a situation. That nurse didn\u2019t know a thing about me. She didn\u2019t know that my kind heart<\/a> led me to earn a degree in counseling<\/a> so that I could help people. She had no idea how funny I am and how hard I make people chuckle with my ridiculous jokes. Most of all, her question seemed to overlook the fact that my life has meaning<\/a>, regardless of my genes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Viewing a person only through the lens of their genetic code can be incredibly damaging. Our genetics are beyond our control, and when someone focuses only on that aspect of us, it\u2019s dehumanizing<\/a>.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve known people who believe that if a genetic disorder is discovered in utero, it\u2019s grounds for abortion. Becoming a parent involves risks, including the possibility that you won\u2019t have a healthy child. Eugenics is dangerous. We\u2019re designed to be human<\/a>, not to be \u201cperfect.\u201d<\/p>\n It breaks my heart how often genetic disorders are the reason for abortion<\/a>. So many people go on to experience health issues later in life, such as neurological disorders, mental health issues, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, and there\u2019s no question of whether their lives are worth fighting for. But what about those who aren\u2019t yet born?<\/p>\n The last time I checked,\u00a0there wasn\u2019t a perfect person<\/a> on the planet. Almost everyone experiences health issues at some point, and nobody\u00a0gets out of this world alive.<\/p>\n I believe that human beings have inherent worth<\/a> and deserve to live, regardless of genetic makeup. Some of the most talented, resilient, and empathetic people I\u2019ve met have had imperfect genetic codes. They\u2019ve struggled on a soul level, and pain is often a constant companion, but these challenges allow them to relate deeply to others. I can\u2019t imagine reducing their lives to the letters and numbers in their genetic code.<\/p>\n Even though my health isn\u2019t perfect, I\u2019m so grateful and happy to be alive. My genes have never told the story of who I am as a person. They haven\u2019t diminished my ability to share love, compassion, and empathy with others; in fact, I\u2019m better at doing so because of my experiences. My life is full<\/a> of joy and struggle, and I would always choose this life because it\u2019s rich and meaningful in more ways than I can count.<\/p>\n I\u2019m so grateful that my parents<\/a> gave me a chance at life. Their love and care were unmatched, as evidenced by their dedication to being there every step of the way through my tumultuous health journey.<\/p>\n Life is a precious gift<\/a>, and everyone deserves a chance to share their unique presence. May we one day live in a world where every life matters, regardless of genetic codes.<\/p>\n Note:\u00a0Cystic Fibrosis News Today<\/a>\u00a0is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice,\u00a0diagnosis<\/a>, or\u00a0treatment<\/a>. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of\u00a0Cystic Fibrosis News Today\u00a0or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cystic fibrosis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Have you ever been asked why your parents didn\u2019t undergo prenatal genetic testing? During a hospitalization for cystic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3846],"tags":[267,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-454475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115274373132585108","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/454476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Pregnant_Bionews_700x350-150x0-c-default.png\")
<\/p>\n