Is Advocating for the Adoption of Anencephalic Babies Ethical or Practical?

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A local religious station's advertisement claims that 80% of fetuses with only a brain stem are aborted, urging parents to carry these pregnancies to term despite the limited life expectancy of about four years. The discussion raises concerns about potential changes in abortion policy that might compel parents to care for or adopt these children, while many other children in need remain unadopted. Questions arise about the quality of life and humanity of anencephalic babies, with some expressing disbelief that a human could survive with such a condition. The conversation highlights the view that without higher brain functions, these children would lack perception or cognition, leading to debates about the morality and practicality of sustaining such lives. Critics argue that the existence of a child without a brain would be devoid of meaning and question the allocation of resources towards their care.
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A local religious station ran an advertisement saying that 80% of fetuses with only a brain stem for a brain are aborted. The ad tries to convince parents of such fetuses to bear and keep them the four or so years they would be expected to live. This group also seeks to place similar "special needs" children, as they have 7,000 others.

Does this presage a change in abortion policy - forcing parents to care for, or using adoption resources on, those children without brains while millions more practically "deserving" kids worldwide go without guardianship? Can one determine the quality of life or humanness for anencephalic babies?
 
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I had no idea a human could survive even that long with only a brain stem.
 
I question that too, but perhaps with slightly higher brain functions or life support the person would survive. Such intention to save the life would border on the macabre.
 
Loren Booda said:
I question that too, but perhaps with slightly higher brain functions or life support the person would survive. Such intention to save the life would border on the macabre.

There are no higher functions without the brain. Such a child would be incapable of any perception or cognition. The lungs and heart operate autonomically so would be unaffected, but a child with no brain would not be able to feed itself. I suppose it can survive for some amount of time with a great deal of assistance, but its existence would hardly be more meaningful than that of a garbage disposal. There is no reason to waste resources like this.
 

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