And you’re still ignoring the economic reality that makes this all a moot point.

RightOFLeft on July 10, 2009 at 7:22 AM

It’s only an economic issue until we get Obamacare.

Nobody’s trying to create Dr. Moreau’s island.

RightOFLeft on July 8, 2009 at 3:38 PM

Really? Nobody? Now and forever? You’re absolutely, positively sure?

Take a deep breath, put down the pitchfork, and get the hell out of the way of legitimate medical research.

RightOFLeft on July 8, 2009 at 3:38 PM

Refusing to entertain even the potential validity of an opponent’s viewpoint, unreasoning faith in one method of enquiry over all others . . . yep, you’re a religious fanatic, all right! Unfortunately, nothing can stop this march to madness — it’s the curse of humanity that it will do anything that it can do, whether or not it should. Maybe you for one welcome our new posthuman nightmare, but don’t flatter yourself by thinking that provides you with intellectual, still less moral, superiority. Science is silent on morality, but those who fanatically embrace science as a religion have brought us some of our greatest moral atrocities, and I think that we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

In other words, an accident.

BlameAmericaLast on July 9, 2009 at 2:58 PM

Whatever. Take it up with God. That’s how he did the job. If you don’t like it, that’s between you and him.

Attempting to create the essential materials of reproduction goes beyond medical research.

Not to the men who can’t create those materials naturally. To them it’s therapy, no different than making insulin for diabetics.

And using human embryos to do so crosses the line into illegitimate territory.

They’re using discarded human embryos. It’s no different than research on cadavers. It might be uncomfortable to think about, but it’s within accepted medical ethics.

The natural way doesn’t always win out. Canada, Japan, Europe are committing a very unnatural suicide by declining to reproduce by natural or other means. What could be less ‘natural’ than a mother destroying her own child? But this is a routine occurrence.

Pundette on July 9, 2009 at 7:06 AM

Even in those countries where the birth rate has declined, the preferred, nearly universal modes of reproduction is the birds-and-the-bees model. A powerful instinct compels us to prefer passing our own genes down over somebody else’s.

And you’re still ignoring the economic reality that makes this all a moot point.

Life is the natural consequence of all the laws in the universe working together for 13 billion years

In other words, an accident.

Our nature drives us to want to have children who look like ourselves and our partners. As I said before, that’s why they’re doing this research in the first place.

The natural way doesn’t always win out. Canada, Japan, Europe are committing a very unnatural suicide by declining to reproduce by natural or other means. What could be less ‘natural’ than a mother destroying her own child? But this is a routine occurrence.

Seriously though, I’m fascinated at some in the science community who view life as nothing but an “accident,” but who nonetheless are in awe and pat themselves on the back when they can come even close to re-creating it in a Petrie dish.

I’ve never heard a scientist say, “life is nothing but an accident.” An accident is spilling your coffee on the keyboard. Life is the natural consequence of all the laws in the universe working together for 13 billion years. So, yeah, it’s pretty impressive to see an experiment that reproduces some of that work.

Unless I’m missing something, the sperm made in the lab wouldn’t come from the male seeking fertility treatment.

Dr. Nayernia also claims to have made progress creating sperm from skin cells. Studying the simpler case of creating sperm from embryonic stem cells aids this research.

Q: How long before we hear about breakthroughs in human/animal reproduction? Science has been entirely stripped of morality.

Nobody’s trying to create Dr. Moreau’s island. The explicitly stated purpose of this research (which is fulfilled, pretty much by definition, by its success), is to create fertility treatments for men who can’t produce viable sperm.

Call me crazy, but who’s to say our society won’t want to produce matching people?

Economics, for starters. The old-fashioned method of making babies is a lot cheaper than any artificial alternatives (and a lot more fun).

Our nature drives us to want to have children who look like ourselves and our partners. As I said before, that’s why they’re doing this research in the first place.

Take a deep breath, put down the pitchfork, and get the hell out of the way of legitimate medical research.

On the upside, if nobody needs men anymore to make babies, we’ll have even more time to watch football and drink beer.

Seriously though, I’m fascinated at some in the science community who view life as nothing but an “accident,” but who nonetheless are in awe and pat themselves on the back when they can come even close to re-creating it in a Petrie dish.

When God does it, it’s an accident, when the Beekerheads create a cheap and dangerously flawed copy, it’s a miracle.

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