- Do you think Sara is a good mother? Do you sympathize with her? How does her martyrdom affect the rest of the family?
From the moment Kate was diagnosed, it was an incredibly real possibility she would not survive much longer. As a parent, I thought Sara should have comforted her baby girl by embracing what little time she had left. Instead, she went against the grain, or what science said should have happened, and made a baby using science to enhance favorable genetic traits. These traits were only in the favor of Kate.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis has many ethical issues involved. By choosing favorable traits, parents are creating a "designer baby." This is defying nature. One of the main points of having children is the variation. Sara is acting as God when she chooses who her fetus will be. Sara is a person, just like the rest of us. What makes Sara so damn special that she can change the fate of her child.
I really enjoyed reading your post and it brought up so many great points I had not really thought about before. The point you make about how Sara calls the baby "It" when It was born is such a crucial part in the book. Even from the beginning before we really find out Sara's "parenting" techniques, you knew right away Anna was going to be treated, as an "it." Regarding your explanation of "going against the grain," I believe this is something that actually may show Sara's positive intentions. Instead of sitting back and watching her child die, she acted, and she did whatever she could to save her. And I also agree that with these actions, it really jeopardized the future of her other two children, which really has an impact on their family life.
ReplyDeleteOverall I think this post is great! You made several very interesting points I completely agree with, and I love the use of the picture at the bottom to add some color to the post. And really, what does make Sara so special?
I completely agree with your stance on Sara. The points you made were very convincing and proved that Sara doesn't care about Anna and really does not even have Kate's best interest in mind. A mother should not be dragging out a child's life and make her live through 13 painful years of experiments. A mother should hold her baby and make her passing as comfortable as she can. I also agree that Sara has never had Anna's best interest in mind. The first time Kate had blood drawn Kate was in great distress for Kate, yet when Anna had testing Sara did not show the same concern.
ReplyDeleteI agree that having a baby for external motives is bad parenting. If you have a child, not because you want them, but because you want the benefit they will have to your other child, it is clear that you care about the first child more. There is no way around it. I also believe that Sara misinterpreted the sanctity of life. Sara believes that her daughters live is valuable, but the way she acts because of that is all wrong. She shouldn't just be worried about how long her daughters life is, she should be worried about how good it is. Prolonging Kate's life just to leave her in a hospital bed in immense pain is not the way Sara should value Kate's life. Good post Sophie. You are very passionate.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I would call Sara ignorant exactly, but I definitely agree with what you say about her mothering. She definitely has a mother's instinct; she'd do anything for her child. You're right that she's prioritized Kate's need over those of her other children, and Anna and Jesse have both suffered as a result. They both grew up with less attention than a child should receive because Sara was always focused on making Kate live longer. Though I'm sure Sara loves all of her children and would be a good mother under normal circumstances, she has not handled having a child with cancer in addition to having other children well. I agree that her intentions in having Anna were not what they should be, she should not have made a child in order to use her. All in all this is a very good blog, you clearly had an opinion on the book and established it in this post. Very good ideas!
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