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To: Mr. Bird
>> the truly complex cases are not able to reproduce, with or without medical intervention.

Let's take the "less" complex examples which ~are able to reproduce with medical intervention.

Should members of society who do not have this genetic mutation be forced to expend reproductive resources so that the mutant genome can reproduce?

50 posted on 02/27/2004 12:46:06 PM PST by VxH (This species has amused itself to death.)
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To: VxH
Are you asking if it is advisable to provide intervention necessary for reproduction in such individuals? If we were scientists studying fruit flies, probably not. But we are dealing with full-fledged human beings, and I think propagating ones genes (for better or worse) is a fundamental human right. Similar questions surround individuals with Huntington's disease and other conditions that are passed to offspring.

And if you weren't asking that, can you clarify?

51 posted on 02/27/2004 12:56:43 PM PST by Mr. Bird
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To: VxH
I don't think you really understand what is going on here.

The women in the articles that I listed and most of the other people spoken of in these threads are chimeric. This means that some cells in their bodies are XX cells and some are XY. The genotypes of these cells are completely normal. Typically chimeras originate from two embryos fusing in the womb, or, in two of the cases I mentioned, from transfer of embryonic cells from a fraternal twin to the sister. Depending on when these cells are transferred and where they end up there are different results. The woman I spoke about who is 80% XY and 20% XX probably is only female phenotypically because she resulted from the fusion of a male and female embryo, and the cells from the female embryo happened to develop into the reproductive system. Her ovaries are not completely normal, but they were normal enough to allow her to give birth to a normal boy.

Chimeric people have completely normal genotypes. There are other causes of indeterminate sex that involve genetic mutations that might be passed on to offspring (there's an intriguing article I can look up if anyone is interested covering half a dozen cases of reverse-sexed XX men and one hermaphroditic XX individual who opted for reconstructive surgery to a male phenotype--all in one big inbred family!), but generally individuals in these cases are sterile.

For the most part these people are not "mutants," and their genes are just as good as yours.

52 posted on 02/27/2004 12:57:38 PM PST by ahayes
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To: VxH
Tell me it will grow up a Republican, Please.
57 posted on 02/27/2004 1:36:05 PM PST by Iberian
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