Same-Sex Couples Could Create Children

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Telegraph said:
A scientific technique that could allow same-sex couples to create their own biological child in a laboratory should be allowed under law, a group of influential scientists said on Monday.

The experts, all international leaders in embryology research, called on ministers not to restrict such "important" research.

The laboratory creation of eggs and sperm from other cells could offer hope to thousands of people unable to have children of their own.

Although the creation of both sperm and eggs in a laboratory is still at an early stage, the Hinxton group, made up of 40 world-renowned experts, estimates that the procedure could be used to create human foetuses within 15 years.

Creating sperm from female instead of male cells could take longer but was still "possible", they said.

John Harris, a member of the group and a professor of bioethics at the University of Manchester, said that ministers should not impede the research.

"The real ethical issue at the moment is to ensure that the important scientific research can continue," he said.

The call was made after a conference on ethics and stem cell research and follows the tabling of a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Government's controversial Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which could speed up the use of "artificial" eggs and sperm in fertility clinics.

The Bill, as it stands, would prevent such eggs or sperm being given to infertile women. The amendment, which was tabled by Evan Harris MP, would allow the technique to be used in fertility clinics without the need for extra legislation.

Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics, a campaign group, said the technique went against the natural reproductive process and could result in passing genetic fertility problems on to offspring.

The idea of babies being created without a biological father was "scary", she added.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/15/nchild115.xml

Science never ceases to impress me.
 
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Females have the XX chromosones. Males have XY. So basicaly, this would allow for a possible YY combination? I mean, I'm all for Same-Sex couples to have children through this method. Although, I wonder what would happen if it is possible to make a YY human.
 
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I've read about this before. While I have no objection to same-sex couples adopting/having children with surrogates, I really have to wonder about creating babies in a laboratory.

I have the same objection to cloning cats, etc. Not because they're cloning, but--there are millions of EXISTING homeless children (and cats, dogs, etc) who desperately need homes. I'd advocate adoption before creating more and leaving existing ones out in the cold.

But for the sake of technological development--have at it.
 
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I'm sure same-sex couples would absolutely love to adopt children, but adoption agencies have a tendency to freak out when said couples want to take care of a child. If there is no other way to have a kid they can call their own, then I feel they're justified in growing one.
 
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I was thinking the same thing as Alea.

I'm all for advancing bioscience, but I don't know if we actually WANT all those same-sex couples to have kids. There's already more than enough children in this world, do we really need more? Especially when we'll be creating more of them in labs?

The prospect of things going horribly wrong and defect genes being passed on to the rest of the human population is a bit worrying to me too.
 
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I was thinking the same thing as Alea.

I'm all for advancing bioscience, but I don't know if we actually WANT all those same-sex couples to have kids. There's already more than enough children in this world, do we really need more? Especially when we'll be creating more of them in labs?

The prospect of things going horribly wrong and defect genes being passed on to the rest of the human population is a bit worrying to me too.
So you are basically saying that we, who can reproduce our selves, should be allowed kids. But those who have the inability to do so, but still love eachother as much and children as much, shouldn't be allowed to have them? I think that is rather unfair. Everyone should be allowed to have children, unless they are not responsible enough to take care of one.
 
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Honestly, people seem to care more about hypothetical children than they do about existing children. Some people are more guilty of that than others. They'll basically force a child to be born, no matter what the case may be, and then immediately forget about it afterwards.

"What? They need a home and loving parents? Well, we're not in charge of that! Send it to a home. Yeah, whatever. We don't care. We have babies to save."

Nice...

@ Sicron: I think Shiyo was agreeing with Alea on the adoption angle. But from what I've heard and read over the years, adopting a child as a same-sex couple is harder than taking over the world with a slingshot.
 
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Sicron, I'm not saying that same-sex couples shouldn't be allowed to have kids. My point is that there's already so many kids in foster homes that should be given a proper home, first and foremost.

The system doesn't work. It needs to be fixed. THEN we should look into giving every same-sex couple the option of producing their own children.
 
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Females have the XX chromosones. Males have XY. So basicaly, this would allow for a possible YY combination? I mean, I'm all for Same-Sex couples to have children through this method. Although, I wonder what would happen if it is possible to make a YY human.
That'd cause an infertile child. The X and Y chromosomes control fertility, XYY would have a similar effect. They may also fail to develop at puberty. Physical changes are also common (i.e stunted or extreme growth in some parts of the body).

Personally I think it's wonderful that those who can't have children are given the chance but I'm worried about how children with two fathers or mothers will be treated in society.
 
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@ Shiyo: So...should we stop all heterosexual couples from having kids, too? I mean, there are enough orphans for everyone.
 
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@ Shiyo: So...should we stop all heterosexual couples from having kids, too? I mean, there are enough orphans for everyone.
I think straight couples/families should strongly consider adopting a child. If you absolutely have to have a biological child, then have one. But adopting a child is one of the most benevolent, kindest and generous things you can do in this world.

You're giving a child who, unlike most of us, didn't have the luxury of parents who wanted it, or parents who were alive, or parents who had the means to provide for it.

A lot of people only want to adopt babies. You can raise a baby so it won't know it's adopted; but I'd also strongly advocate adopting older children. No diapers, no mess--and they will love you just as much.

Teens and the like, can be difficult--because without parents, proper discipline, the rampant abuse in foster homes, etc--they'll can be much harder to "reach."
 
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@ Shiyo: So...should we stop all heterosexual couples from having kids, too? I mean, there are enough orphans for everyone.
It sure as hell wouldn't hurt.

It doesn't matter if a couple is 'straight' or same-sex - they should both adopt more children. Or rather, it should be easier for same-sex couples to adopt children.
 
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Okay, I've recently had more acceptance towards homosexuals and their lifestyles, but...Seriously, that's some ****ed-up ****...

I mean, really adoption isn't good enough? I mean, I GET why they'd want something like this but...it doesn't seem a little perverse to anyone else? Just a bit?
 
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Okay, I've recently had more acceptance towards homosexuals and their lifestyles, but...Seriously, that's some ****ed-up ****...

I mean, really adoption isn't good enough? I mean, I GET why they'd want something like this but...it doesn't seem a little perverse to anyone else? Just a bit?

Adoption may be good enough, but same-sex couples have it infinitely harder to adopt children.
 
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Okay, I've recently had more acceptance towards homosexuals and their lifestyles, but...Seriously, that's some ****ed-up ****...

I mean, really adoption isn't good enough? I mean, I GET why they'd want something like this but...it doesn't seem a little perverse to anyone else? Just a bit?
When people stop freaking out and saying a same-sex couple is going to rape the child or make that child homosexual, and give said couple the same chance everyone else gets, they'll be more than happy to adopt. Until then, they really have no alternative, because bigots have them cornered.
 
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Okay, I've recently had more acceptance towards homosexuals and their lifestyles, but...Seriously, that's some ****ed-up ****...

I mean, really adoption isn't good enough? I mean, I GET why they'd want something like this but...it doesn't seem a little perverse to anyone else? Just a bit?
"Perverse" implies a morality judgment. Morality based on what? In your case, and in the case of most people objecting to this, it's religion.

To which a *** person responds: Please don't try to enforce your sense of religious morality on me.

"Why does a *** couple want a child?" you ask. That couple responds, "Why did your parents want you?"

Children of *** couples might be even better off, because things like "unwanted pregnancies" obviously can't exist in an environment where they have to be specifically sought and created, whereas many, if not the majority of people born to straight people on this planet, are a welcome or unwelcome result of unprotected sex--not something specifically "planned."
 
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Okay, I've recently had more acceptance towards homosexuals and their lifestyles, but...Seriously, that's some ****ed-up ****...

I mean, really adoption isn't good enough? I mean, I GET why they'd want something like this but...it doesn't seem a little perverse to anyone else? Just a bit?
But, you don't know how hard it is for same-sex couples to actually adopt kids.

So many couples do want to adopt, but they just can't because adoption agencies won't let them. They think it'll ruin the child.

So they just let the kid rot in an orphanage, instead.

That's part of why the system doesn't work.
 
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"Perverse" implies a morality judgment. Morality based on what? In your case, and in the case of most people objecting to this, it's religion.

To which a *** person responds: Please don't try to enforce your sense of religious morality on me.

"Why does a *** couple want a child?" you ask. That couple responds, "Why did your parents want you?"

Children of *** couples might be even better off, because things like "unwanted pregnancies" obviously can't exist in an environment where they have to be specifically sought and created, whereas many, if not the majority of people born to straight people on this planet, are a welcome or unwelcome result of unprotected sex--not something specifically "planned."

I get that...but still, a BIOLOGICAL father/father or mother/mother scenario? That's where I hit the "weird **** acceptance" wall. The day it becomes business as usual for a kid to claim he's the biological child of his 2 male parents...well, it just feels wrong, even with religion aside. I think there's enough confusion in this world without this new degree of mind****ery.
 
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I am tempted to agree with J-dude, although I feel at some point down the line this'll end up inevitable. Would it really cut back on unwanted children? Heterosexuals will still have their unwanted children, and at the end of the day same sex relationships are no better than heterosexual, so you'll still end up with kids stranded to just one parent or the other, only dealing with social stigmas for the rest of their life over it on top of the fact.

Even if you argue the angle that 'if it becomes common, there wont be a stigma' I'd have to point you to Gattaca, and how they handled children who were born naturally and those who were genetically enhanced... I generally tend to foresee the world ending up this way at some point. Furthermore, Science can produce some incredible things, but it can get ahead of itself at times as well, and develop products that we discover to be incomplete or malformed many years down the line. It's a blanket statement I'm making here to be sure, and perhaps not as informed as it could be, but it's one position on the subject. I'm a bit sensitive to the social stigma issue from a childhood of having no immediate family outside of my mother, and always having kids bother me about how I felt not having them. I grew up virtually alone, and it was hard enough going through school without worrying about my long term health as a genetic conjuration or how society would treat me.
 
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There are way too many orphans that need guardians... same sex marriages and celebrities must heed the call!
 

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