4thought.tv

Nishad Gudhka
You made your choice guided by your faith and I respect your decision and your right to make these very difficult and often heart rending choices but religious beliefs should not be used as with Christians to impose these decisions and choices on others.

Just goes to show that you don't need to fall within a specific bracket of what is perceived to be a normal human being in order to have a fulfilling family life. My wife and I were discussing what would happen if our baby should have been born with Downs Syndrome and we decided we would keep it if it did so opted to forgo the tests (for non faith-based reasons). I really enjoyed watching this video :)

While I applaud their decision, I wonder how they will feel in 25 years time when their daughter is still reliant on them.

I dislike the phrase 'designer babies' used to introduce this video on television, the parents aren't designing the baby if they make the very difficult decision to not have a child with a disability. It's not as if people are adjusting their children's DNA and deciding exactly how they want their child to look!

God bless the Jains. One of only two religions a real god would appreciate. The other being the Quakers.

Well it's a complicated issue because it involves 2 big ethical dilemmas. Firstly you have to decide if abortion should be allowed at all.The main issue here though is that if the baby were 'normal', the abortion wouldn't be considered and therefore is it fair to deny it the right to life because the baby will be disabled, and what level of disability is considered too disabled to not pose a problem, like if the baby were going to be deaf, is that disabled or not? Because most deaf people don't consider themselves disabled. That's the thing that's uncomfortable, you're basically not letting the baby live because you think it's going to cause too many problems, either for itself or the parents/family. The emotional stress that it could cause. If someone can't afford that then it could be argued that it's reasonable.But what about people who do have disabled children, I doubt any of them would wish they never
had those kids... Also from an evolutionary stance, if these disabilities were not viable, then they would have evolved out of existence by now and the fact that they happen means they're not a disability, just a difference, and the people are only disabled by society's limitations.

Nonetheless, although I feel so much respect for Nishad's family and praise their decision but I don't think that I was brave enough to not to have abortion.

The film is both inspiring and warming.

It conveys how a firm resolve (one which arises from an understanding of what, based on your values, is non-negotiable) can result in such magic.

I particularly love how Harshi is a catalyst for great calmness in your life.

I agree with the Jain philosophy as I am a Jain too and my beliefs are the same. However, due to science and technology, it does give us that power to choose whether we should continue with pregnancy or not, if the foetus has underlying problems which are shown via the ultra sound scans at early stages of pregnancy. Depending on the severity and circumstances, yes we should take the option of termination rather than bring a a severely deformed child on this earth which is really not necessary. Not every circumstances are clear cut as Nishad's family went through and also agree that Downs Syndrome child is not as difficult and painful to raise than a severly physically disabled child who is living for the sake of living!

This is a very beautiful, honest, inspiring and ethical film.They make a lovely family, and it is great to see such positive examples on television. Well done Channel 4. I have a lot of admiration for Jain philosophy, which is one of the oldest living religions of the world.