[brenns10]

This presupposes an awful lot. If it were truly a risk free magic wand you could wave, then I could see your point.

But none of the current options are risk free, and I doubt this one will be. They all have risks, side effects, and probably the chance of failure. And then the question is how low of a risk is acceptable to restore a child's hearing. These are people who would live an otherwise healthy and normal life, and they'd grow up in an accepting deaf family which is likely already plugged into a community. I can't imagine how it would feel to have a serious side effect (or worse) impact your child when you know they could have gone without that procedure and lived a happy, fulfilling life. But I also understand the desire to give your child every possible opportunity.

All of that is to say, I think it is reductive to compare this to child abuse or FGM. There's no right decision, and parents absolutely will need to make a difficult choice, hopefully prioritizing their child's safety and future above all else.

[josephcsible]

It's often not about the risk, though. It's sadly common for uppercase-D "Deaf culture" people to decline these kinds of treatments for their kids because they want their kids to be deaf too. That's absolutely child abuse.