Sickle cell disease: To hell with the consequences!

FUNMILAYO AREMU, in this report, investigates why couples with incompatible genotypes continue to marry, the role of government and whether there is a need for more awareness in society.

The decision to spend the rest of your life with a partner should not be taken lightly. After all, there's a saying that only fools rush (where angels are afraid to tread). Just as it is often said that emotions shouldn't be the primary factor in choosing a life partner, there are many other factors to consider. Genotype compatibility is one such factor.

With the plethora of information available on genotype compatibility and its complications, one would expect people to refrain from making decisions that could affect their future and that of their unborn children. However, it has been discovered that many couples have chosen to ignore caution and the future health of their children, according to a recent report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that 150,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease every year. in Nigeria.

Olufunto, 32 (pseudonym), is one of those who threw caution to the wind and traded the good health and future of her children for love. Olufunto had been dating her fiancé of 11 years and was ready to marry him. That was until she found out that her genotype and that of her future spouse didn't match.

She was advised not to pursue the wedding plans after consulting with her pastor and a marriage counselor. Either way, Olufunto determined that nothing, not even an incompatible genotype, would stop him from marrying the love of his life, decided to go ahead.

"I can't even begin to imagine interrupting my marriage," she told the Sunday Tribune, adding that she would rather move on than risk her happiness in an uncertain future.

The question is, why do some couples with mismatched genotypes decide to get married when there is information to the contrary? To find out, Sunday Tribune spoke to experts who shed some light on the situation.

Possible reasons

The Chaplain and ICT Minister of Molete Baptist Church, Ibadan, Reverend Oladayo Oladosu, revealed that many couples make this decision because of love, money, material possessions and of modern technology that can help stop the birth of a child with sickle cell disease.

He recounted an experience he had with a future couple who tried to manage to get a genotype test during counseling.

"Whenever I counsel couples, I ask for their genotypes and then give them a form at the medical center to clarify all of these things through testing to find out whether or not they are fit for the trip that will take them. waits. But this particular future couple avoided that until two weeks before their wedding.

"I found out they were both AS and advised against it but they defended themselves saying there is technology that can support things like this and they can even interrupt pregnancy if they find out that the fetus is SS.

"I told them that I would like to live a guilt-free life and that I would not want to be cursed by their children in the future. (I told them) that there are other people whose genotypes would be compatible with theirs and which would bring them happiness and joy", he said, revealing that the couple fled all the supplications.

Reverend Father Raphael Ifejioku, who also shared his own experience, confirmed that many couples marry knowingly despite their genotypic incompatibility because of love and using technology as an excuse.

“Many couples get married these days for a variety of reasons,” he said. "The deeper reason is the fact that they claim to love each other beyond anything you can imagine. Also, some feel they have gone a long way in their wedding preparations. Few people think that they can have children who are likely to have the AS genotype. Others think that with modern technology they can easily determine the genotype of the child before birth,” he said, saying that 'he had had cases of couples like this.' In my eleventh year as a priest, I had one and in this case they just felt that their love for each other was enough to carry them out.

"I counseled them on the implications. When I found out they were adamant and ready to go ahead with the marriage, I asked them to write a letter of engagement stating that the church had informed them of the implications, but they insisted on going ahead with the marriage and registering it in court. Surprisingly, that was the last time I saw them,” he explained.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, Earl Alright, Chairman of Alright's Passion Counsellor's Network, explained that some couples think they are meant for each other or that they have been dating too long to break up the relationship. He also noted that some of them believe...