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Genotype: As an AS, would you marry another AS for the sake of love?

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7 years ago

Love is blind, many would say. There have been many instances where love has made people to make drastic decisions in their relationships and marriages. BABATUNDE ADELEKE, KEHINDE OLADAPO, COMFORT OYEDOKUN and ITUNU OGUNSOLA sampled people’s views to enquire if, with AS genotype, they would marry another AS for the sake of love. Their responses:

Ajayi Christanah

No way. I cannot risk the future because of present enjoyment. With every case of AS couple, there are, at least, two cases of sickle-celled children. Prevention is better and cheaper than cure. I would rather walk the path of prevention and be heart-broken for a few months, than to walk the path of cure and watch my children die.

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Ajayi Taiwo

It does not make any sense for anyone to take such a decision. You need to think about the children, which are the product of the marriage. If you would not have kids, it is fine. But if I am going into a marriage and I intend to have children. I would not want the children to suffer. As such, I would not make such a decision. If we know what sickle-celled children go through, we would make more common-sense decisions.

Princess Olabanjo

The love is of what essence? By the time the problem of sickle-celled children begins, the love would be a mirage. It would only take a crisis or two to restore common sense into anyone who wants to take such a lousy step on the grounds of love. There is a huge difference between love and compatibility. We must get that right.

Yetunde Ogunsola

I cannot marry a husband that is AS, because it has a lot of disadvantages. If I know my man is AS, I would not marry him because I do not want to have any problem after my marriage. If I marry a man that is AS, we are going to produce SS. What is the benefit of having a child that would not last in life? I cannot marry a man that is AS.

Laide

I cannot marry a man that is AS because of love. It can cause a problem in our marriage. When it comes to giving birth, we are going to have SS as a child. This can cause a lot of problems in the family.

Fadeke

I cannot marry a man that is AS. If I marry him because of love, it could cause a problem for us. When I am giving birth to SS, what is the benefit for the children that would sooner or later die. For me, I cannot marry a man that is AS because of love.

Blessing

No. I would not marry another AS for anything. This is because I do not want my children to suffer because of our own desires. It brings a lot of pain to watch a child suffer: multiple injection, drugs, hospitalisation, etc. I want my children to live happily without fear of dying soon. What is life without peace of mind? Since there is no guarantee that all my children would be free from the sickle-cell double recessive allele, then it is better to forsake love. There are more wonderful people with compatible genotypes. Let us not destroy unborns’ lives because of heart desires. The regret would be greatly ours.

Oluwatomilayo

No. Love is not blind when making such a lifetime decision. Consider the future and how much your child would suffer if he or she is an SS, and how much money would be lost each time he or she gets sick. It is not just about two people. It would affect a generation.

Ezinma Chima

I cannot marry another AS because, at the end of the day, everyone in the family would suffer it when the sickness starts. A member of my extended family is SS. His mother married his father due to their love. But, his sickness scattered that love.

Ilesanmi David

I think it is not advisable for me to go ahead and marry another sickle-cell carrier (AS). An AS marrying another AS, is a decision that would be made in the present with future consequences. The future consequences (loss of someone dear to one’s heart; lifetime of bitterness, sorrow and regret, of allowing love to blind your eyes from seeing the warning signs) might not worth it. Love should not blind our eyes from seeing what is obtainable. That is why we have to be real with ourselves when it comes to an issue like this. Wisdom is profitable, says the Scripture. Science tells us that when an AS crosses with another AS, the chances that they would give birth to an SS is one out of four. But, in reality, it is not always like that. At times, it is more. There are cases where out of three children, you would see two SS. I heard about a family with four SS children, and the four of them died at a tender age. Even with the one out of four, maintaining sickle cell is not easy. It is demanding. It is challenging. So, let us look beyond the passion of love and think about posterity. Do not because of your passion endanger the lives of your unborn children. Prevention is better than cure.

Joseph

I would not advice the two to marry each other, as a geneticist. I understand the implication, which is not good for their progeny. It would later, in the future, seem to the children as though their parents were careless and deliberately endangered their lives. So, it is my opinion that both should not marry. I would advise intending couples to know their genotypes before they start going deep in love. That would save the generation to come from a lot of unhealthy progenies. However, if they are led by God’s instruction to marry each other, then God has a way of sorting out the complications that would ensue. They must also inquire from God if they are to bear children and the number of children they could also give birth to.

Eniola Eunice

I would not. I know the health implications it would have or might have on my offspring. I cannot because of love bring a child to this cruel world to suffer a deformity such as sickle cell. It is good to love. But, I prefer to love with common sense not with recklessness. If my lover is AS and I am also AS, no matter how long the relationship has lasted, I would end it. Apart from the suffering of the child, the cost of maintaining the health of such a child is high. So as not to keep endlessly spending money on something I could have averted, I would rather not do it.

Lucky

I would not want to suffer someone I claim I love with the pains of catering or treating a sickler because the chance of giving birth to one is high. Also, I would not want to give birth to a child (sickler) who would go through the pains of health complications, that I know would definitely happen. I would not want a child who would not be able to participate and enjoy life in full due to his or her SS condition. In the definition of love, pain is not inclusive. So, if I claim that I love a person, I should not subject her, my child and myself to pains that accompany a sickle-celled condition. Love is not foolishness. Let us be wise.

Dare

I can marry my fellow AS. But there would be an agreement: it is either we agree on having children or not having any. Both of us would be ready for the consequences of our action. If she is not ready to marry me, I would not force her. My reason is that, there is probability of giving birth to AS, AA, or SS, and we may not even have SS. However, if we have an SS, we would be prepared for it. Understanding matters. Once we understand each other, there would not be any problem.

Frank Adejumo

The answer is no. There is difference between love and realities. We have to be realistic. We should not jeopardise the future of our children. My own love is not blind to reality. I cannot do what I would later regret, especially when there would not be any solution to the problem that would arise. My children’s health and future matter a lot to me.

Mary Peace

I cannot marry an AS. There is a probability of giving birth to an SS. Such love is only for the parents.It should not be extended to children. I cannot allow such love to affect the future of my unborn children. Any decision I would make and my children would blame me for it, is better not made. My future matters most than the present situation.

Damilola Johnson

I cannot.It does not mean we do not love each other. Let us face reality. If a problem arises, it would definitely diminish the love between us. If our child happens to be SS, he or she would not be happy with us. There is no point in giving birth to a child that will not give us peace of mind. Though it is only God that gives long life, there are some ways we can prevent short lifespan. If care is not taken, such a problem might lead to divorce.