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Letters: Genetic Tests And Parenting

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

It's Tuesday and time to read from your comments. Liz Holgreen(ph) listened to our conversation on genetic tests and the new choices for many soon-to-be parents. An email from Michigan: This technology is a blessing and a curse. I'm 25 weeks into my first pregnancy. I just learned that my husband has a chromosomal abnormality. While the baby I'm currently pregnant with is most likely just fine, this could affect future pregnancies. We want more children, and this will do nothing to affect our desire to have more. This knowledge has only created more worry for me. I personally do not feel as if I would be able to terminate a pregnancy if any of our future children were to have this severe genetic condition.

We also talked last week about the many challenges facing single parents, most of the moms. Tim wrote from Houston: As the child of a single parent, I would say single parents need to make the little time these families have together memorable. It only happened twice in 12 years, but I'll never forget the days my mom and I played hooky and went to lunch and a movie.

We heard from several of you yesterday about our use of the term, illegal immigrant, including Karen Engle(ph) of Oakland: I am tired of hearing the term illegal applied to human beings. Wouldn't undocumented be a little kinder?

And a correction. I said yesterday that Reginald Denny died after he was pulled from his truck during the Los Angeles race riots 20 years ago and beaten. Denny was severely injured and underwent any number of operations, but he's still alive. He appeared on daytime television at one point and publicly forgave his attackers. I apologize for the mistake.

Finally, during our interview with two of the people behind the new comedy review, "Old Jews Telling Jokes," we asked you to send us the one joke that defines your community or group, and you responded. Here are a couple from Twitter we didn't get a chance to get on the air. From Feritz Steinmetz(ph) and Eric A. Myer(ph): A programmer's spouse says, go get a gallon of milk. If they have eggs, get a dozen. So he comes home with 12 gallons of milk.

And from Andrew Schleigelmilsch(ph): How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? One, but it has to want to change.

If you have a correction, comment, question or a joke for us, the best way to reach us is by email. The address is talk@npr.org. Please, let us know where you're writing from and give us some help on how to pronounce your name. If you're on Twitter, you can follow us there, @totn.

It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.