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.
So far, at least, the responses on this thread seem to indicate it has everything to do with religious belief.
I will take you at your word and assume you're being honest here.
The difference is, if Texas Transplant said what you changed their words to say, which was that the topic was dumb then the topic itself is inherently not worthy of discussion. If one takes Texas Transplant's words as they were written the comment stated that the way you began the topic was dumb...which suggests that it was poorly founded or that by the nature of it's presentation and beginnings will fail to lead to a valuable discussion. The value of the topic itself is not what was stated was dumb but rather the approach to discussing it. So, what Texas Transplant's words addressed was the approach to the topic, you turned that into them making a claim regarding the topic...which they did not.
To clarify something here, I don't know Texas Transplant or have I ever encountered a post of theirs, so I don't know what they believe about the topic itself...that was not what their post addressed.
Thanks for your very reasonable reply, Cornelis.
That would imply a lot of perjury going on. It would also imply that a lot of FReeper ID advocates have been lying.
I have always been mystified why ID advocates get snippy when you question the competence of the designer.
You'll find no argument from me. I don't determine a person's value by the health or function of their body.
Those things you list are not in the nature of Down's, but in the reaction of ignorant people to children with the syndrome.
What is this fascination that evolutionists have with everyone but themselves always "lying". I think you all do protest too much.
I'm not sure I understand your question, xzins. I merely said that birth defects, particularly the severe ones, are CAPABLE of shaking one's religious faith. I meant that in a generic sense.
see my post 81
In your case He definitely made a big mistake. But no reason to get "snippy" about it, right? No reason to get personal. You face a grave and have the forces of nature to thank for that.
Amazing
It isn't. I put it in extended news.
Can't win on the issues, start with the ... well you get the picture
What is amazing?
"It would be better . . ."
I can't tell you
Perjury is always interesting, particulary when the people doing it are motivated by religion. It's just one of those paradoxes.
I would guess when a child raises their hand and asks "What's the purpose?", they'll be given the same answer for ID as for evolution.
If these questions are so important to you, then I expect you have an answer for it regarding evolution.
I'm always amused by people who substitute implied threats for argument.
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