Posted on 05/25/2013 11:01:19 PM PDT by neverdem
Eugenics is just directed Darwinism. Although, to be sure, that’s more or less an oxymoron.
BTW, the basic idea behind eugenics is quite simply inarguable.
Eugenics was wildly misused in the first half of the last century, and as a result the word has, like fascism, become simply a synonym for “something bad.” So that at the mere mention of the term people scream and run.
But the basic theory that if less capable people breed at a higher frequency than more competent people there will be a deterioration in the capability of the human race as a whole is pretty difficult to dispute.
Unless we insist, which we do, that humans somehow aren’t subject to the same laws of genetics as the rest of the animal kingdom.
See the movie Idiocracy.
Indeed. Research implicates a number of genes contributing to the illness. And, to make matters even more complicated, a set of genes can be related to a specific condition, but one person with those genes gets it, and another doesn't.
Four out of five ain’t bad.
Which means that liberals are feeble minded because they blindly follow a leader who’s actions are not in their best interests but for his own? Most people would consider this a weak personality trait but the Alinskyites would find it desirable. So fittest of the species in this day and age? Really?Nah it’s selective abortion by the elites to fit their needs.
There is no way to breed genetic abnormalities out of the human population. With each person having around 200 de novo mutations, it is inevitable that some of those mutations will be in critical genes that control development or behavior. Some mutations, like Downs syndrome, are fairly easy to spot. Although disabled people can be killed, their existence cannot be prevented. So eugenics is a futile discipline.
Eventually we may be able to determine risk of a person developing schizophrenia, just as we now can with breast and other cancers. But it seems highly unlikely that determination of schizophrenia (and a host of other conditions) will ever be reduced to a yes/no dichotomy as with Down’s Syndrome.
There’s another way to think about this kind of testing, and I’m interested in opinions about this approach. The technology now exists to ‘correct’ small mutations in the genome (generally less than 10 base pairs) by specifically targeting those regions for corrective recombination. It’s still relatively early on for these approaches, but there is zero question that they can correct gene mutations.
It is therefore feasible to do genetic testing for correctable DNA point mutations relatively early in pregnancy, take out pluripotent (’stem cells’) from the amniotic fluid or other fetal source, correct the mutation in those cells, and then reintroduce those cells to the fetus. There are lots of hurdles for this to work, but it is technically feasible. It would not correct the defect in all cells in the baby, but done early enough in development could result in a large enough percentage of cells having the normal gene to prevent manifestation of the gene mutation.
What are your thoughts about the ethical aspects of this?
One problem that I have with people on the left and the right is that nobody wants to pay for someone else’s disabled kid. People on the left want the kid dead - then the problem is (in their eyes) effectively solved. People on the right want the kid to live, but bellow ‘not my responsibility!’ and don’t want to pay for the kids’ medical care.
Without help, a family simply cannot handle a severely disabled child on their own.
Jesus is at a school for children with Down syndrome, and He is holding a little girl. Jesus says:
I know what you are thinking. You need a sign. What better one could I give but to make this little one whole and new? I could do it, but I will not. I am the Lord and not a conjurer. I gave this mite a gift I denied to all of you — eternal innocence. To you she looks imperfect — but to me she is flawless, like the bud that dies unopened or the fledgling that falls from the nest to be devoured by ants. She will never offend me, as all of you have done. She will never pervert or destroy the work of my Father’s hands, as you have all done. She is necessary to you. She will evoke the kindness that will keep you human. Her infirmity will prompt you to gratitude for your own good fortune … More! She will remind you every day that I am who I am, that my ways are not yours, and that the smallest dust mite whirled in the darkest spaces does not fall out of my hand … I have chosen you.
True for most families. Rich people would find it much easier.
Re your post 17, there you went and spoiled those foregoing assumptions!! Shame on you.
And what damage do these "doctors" inflict on expecting parents when they are WRONG, 2 BABIES IN A ROW??? Not even an apology after trying to coerce them into aborting 2 lovely healthy babies?
I know of 3 mothers who were all told to abort their babies because "there was something wrong". ALL 4 BABIES WERE BORN COMPLETELY HEALTHY!
Nor did these mothers care. They wanted their babies, come hell or high water. The "doctors" put the parents through heck with their "genetic counceling".
That is beautiful....and so true! Eternal innocence.
It is an Amazing Movie on this Subject.
I think we can all see where this is going, whether we like it or not. The breakdown of the family, the rise of central gov’t that controls birth. In time, it’s Brave New World where genetic engineering, donor selection, and control of the amniotic environment will lead to generations of children with varying IQs and physiology.
Along with the usual abortion clinic, you will have clinics where a single professional woman in Queens can pick the donor, fertilize in vitro, and watch the embryon grow in an aquarium in her front room.
Several of my friends have children with Down Syndrome. One of the girls, who is 13 or 14, competes in Science Olympiad, although not at the grade level for her age.
Just like anyone else, people with Downs have a variety of characters and abilities, and all can be something beautiful in the world.
Now, if they could only screen for liberalism...
The vast majority of abortions have *nothing* to do with potential disabilities or the health of the women.
It’s a lifestyle choice.
Sounds like your Friends are Beautiful People.
Pity so many in Society doesn't see that. :\
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