Posted on 11/11/2005 4:47:36 PM PST by Wolfstar
Each year in the United States, about 150,000 babies are born with birth defects ranging from mild to life threatening. While progress has been made in the detection and treatment of birth defects, they remain the leading cause of death in the first year of life. Birth defects are often the result of genetic and environmental factors, but the causes of well over half of all birth defects are currently unknown.
Following is a partial list of birth defects:
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Achondroplasia/Dwarfism |
Hemochromatosis |
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Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency |
Huntington's Disease |
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Anencephaly |
Hydrocephalus |
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Arnold-Chiari Malformation |
Klinefelter's Syndrome |
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Ataxia Telangiectasia |
Leukodystrophies |
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Blood coagulation disorders/Hemophilia |
Marfan Syndrome |
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Brain malformations/genetic brain disorders |
Metabolic disorders |
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Canavan Disease |
Muscular Dystrophy |
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Cancer: Neonatal, newborn, infant and childhood |
Neural tube defects/Spina Bifida |
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Cerebral Palsy |
Neurofibromatosis |
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Cleft lip and palate |
Niemann-Pick Disease |
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Club foot/club hand |
Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease) |
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Congenital heart disease |
Phenylketonuria |
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Conjoined twins |
Prader-Willi Syndrome |
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Cystic Fibrosis |
Progeria (advanced aging in children) |
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Down Syndrome |
Sickle Cell Anemia |
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Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome |
Spinal Muscular Atrophy |
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Eye, ear and speech defects |
Tay-Sachs Disease |
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Fragile X Syndrome |
Tuberous Sclerosis |
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Gaucher's Disease |
Turner's Syndrome |
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Genital and urinary tract defects |
Wilson's Disease |
Some birth/genetic defects, such as near-sightedness, are mild and do not affect the person's ability to lead a normal life. Others are so severe that the person has no chance to even live. Efficiency and economy are part of intelligently designed systems. If the "design" of human systems is so intelligent, why do tragic inefficiencies such as the following occur at all? Warning, the linked photos are graphic medical images, and are very, very sad.
Conjoined twins, i.e., monozygous twinning in which there is fusion of the twins. The popular term is "Siamese" twins. This happens when identical twin embryos become fused together during the very early stages of development. Conjoined twins occur in an estimated one in 200,000 births, with approximately half being stillborn. Here are links to three photos of severely conjoined twins:
Photo 2: essentially one torso between two babies
Neural tube defects are are one of the more common congenital anomalies. Such defects result from improper embryonic neural tube closure. The most minimal defect is called spina bifida, with failure of the vertebral body to completely form, but the defect is not open. Open neural tube defects with lack of a skin covering, can include a meningocele, in which meninges protrude through the defect. Here is a link to a severe neural tube defect.
Defects of the head/brain: In the linked photo a large encephalocele that merges with the scalp above is protruding from the back of the head. The encephalocele extends down to partially cover a rachischisis on the back. This baby also has a retroflexed head from iniencephaly.
The form of neural tube defect in the next linked photo is known as exencephaly. The cranial vault is not completely present, but a brain is present because it was not completely exposed to amniotic fluid. Such an event is very rare. It may be part of craniofacial clefts associated with the limb-body wall complex, which results from early amnion disruption.
Congenital and pediatric neoplasms: One type that can occur is a teratoma. The next linked photo shows a large nasopharyngeal teratoma that is protruding from the oral cavity.
Tumors: In the next linked photo there is a large mass involving the left upper arm and left chest of the baby. This congenital neoplasm turned out to be a lymphangioma. This baby and the one in Photo 9 were essentially riddled with cancer before birth and shortly afterwards.
Next is a gross neuroblastoma arising in the right adrenal gland. It is the most common pediatric malignancy in infancy, and 75% of cases are diagnosed in children less than 4 years old. These tumors most often present as an abdominal or mediastinal mass.
Such cases are not just tragic, but extremely cruel. They not only argue against "intelligent design," but also are capable of shaking one's faith in religion.
Thank you for the advice. I think it works this way. I also think this is an important debate to have.
Reality in general cannot be reconciled with intelligent design.
I doubt these images, as horrible as they are, really shake anyone's beliefs in God or Intelligent Design. These cases you show are exceptions, not the rule.
All I can say is that if this is the best you can do it is pretty sad.
I agree, but am interested in philosophical underpinnings of those who believe in intelligent design.
These clear examples of the effect of sin and corruption of the original design resulting from man's rebellion against God (Genesis 3)
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." - 1 Cor 13:12
Wrong!
Your arguments are exactly why intelligent design is a must.
Your "science" supposes that these lives are worthless. You provide photos so that the aesthetics can govern our rationality. These are not humans-- but monsters. Therefore, we should allow our human discernment to kill them prior to birth and more importantly fully engage the "moral" task of sorting the strong from the weak.
No aspect of physical deformity or defect can demean the metaphysical commitments of valuing human life. The intellectual war against intelligent design is a war to rationalize human life. Showing us shocking pictures of deformed humanity will not do it.
You are not god nor are any of your rational censorship loving pals. We are endowed by our creator-- even if you don't like our looks.
Not interested in an argument, but a discussion. It's unfortunate that you consider an attempt to explore the question "dumb." In any case, for the "dumb" among us, would you care to expand on your analogy?
I think everything in life is capable of shaking your faith of God's existance. But in a way, that's the point. You have to find God of your own accord, especially in the difficult times.
Loving God and having faith doesn't mean that life is perfect, no matter what the Oprah-Televangelists tell you.. The early martyrs of the Church are a perfectly good example of that.
From mankind's perspective, these things are bad. So are hungry wolves and bears if you're in the woods with them. God's ways are not our ways. We will never understand everything He allows.
The issues not that they are exceptions, but that they exist at all. Mild genetic (birth) defects such as near-sightedness are extremely common. If we are meant to see, why are so many of us born with the defect?
We need teeth to eat, and yet our teeth are poorly designed and rot easily. Why?
ID assumes purpose. It might be that a perfect specimen exists nowhere, ever, nor would the existence of a perfect specimen be part of the purpose. Not one perfect specimen of anything. If there is a perfection, there can be only one.
Archival ping (marginal).
It's difficult to tell from words alone how to take such a statement. If you mean the statement to be taken literally, then I would say that's an awfully cruel god you believe in.
I think that the design is wonderful-I also think the design can be corrupted by external forces,such as chemicals in the food chain,background radiation,and who knows what else.All this has no effect on my faith.
Well, "Intelligent Design" is nonsense, but your illustration above is just another variation on the 'Problem of Evil' (i.e., how can God be all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good and yet permit evil to exist). The short answer is that if an all-powerful, all-knowing God exists then he isn't all-good by our standards.
Allright. Now we have the stated reason for the thread.
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