Babies with easily treated intersex condition targeted for abortion

Above: results of a genetic test showing Klinefelter Syndrome

Cracked.com recently published an interesting article about “Kevin,” a man with an intersex condition known as Klinefelter Syndrome. Men with Klinefelter Syndrome have an extra X chromosome—XXY rather than XY, which impedes testosterone production. The resulting hormonal imbalance can lead to poor development of secondary sexual characteristics (and all the teenage social hell that follows), difficulty concentrating, and an increased risk of certain cancers.

About 1 in every 400 men have Klinefelter Syndrome, but the majority don’t know it, because the symptoms are mild and can easily be confused with other medical conditions, or with plain old non-medical social awkwardness. Getting a diagnosis is the tough part. As Cracked puts it:

Once Kevin’s stupid chromosomes were identified … all he needed was a shot. “The treatment for me is an injection of testosterone substitute called Sustenon that I get via a muscle-mass injection (in the buttocks) every three weeks,” he says. The whole time, it could have been that easy.

Clearly the lesson here is that doctors should routinely screen boys for Klinefelter Syndrome so that XXY boys can receive timely, appropriate testosterone injections to mirror the natural puberty experienced by their peers… right?

If only.

The Cracked article links to a 2013 article from the Korean Journal of Urology, in which the researchers examined the incidence of Klinefelter Syndrome among 18,049 fetuses whose mothers had undergone prenatal testing. Only 22 had Klinefelter Syndrome. Of those 22, nine (40.9%) were aborted.

That is absolutely insane. Granted, we’re talking about a sample of mothers who volunteered for prenatal testing, and many pro-lifers decline prenatal testing out of principle, so the 40.9% figure is high and can’t be applied to the general population. But the fact that even one person would rather abort their baby than go through the inconvenience of arranging for their son to have testosterone shots… it breaks my heart.

To be abundantly clear, aborting babies with Klinefelter Syndrome would be awful even if a cure weren’t available, and even if the disability were more severe. Birth is not a privilege to be earned. I share this because I just can’t fathom the mentality that preborn life is so completely worthless, a minor and easily corrected health issue is sufficient cause to kill your own son.