Artificial Insemination

[_Fiannan]

BBC story which aired last night dealing with fertility tourism:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13460455

[_ajax18]

Artificial Insemination seems like it would be great for the people who practice it. But wouldn't it put the love babies from the traditional family at a competitive disadvantage? Not everyone can be in the top 1% of desirable genetic traits that happen to be important to success in the modern world. The men who have such traits might be more demanding and difficult to be married to just because it's all part of the marriage deal. Do you think that might be a reason why many people would be opposed to it?

Race horses don't even share genes with the mair who carries and give birth to them. A champion mair can't be bothered with or limited to pregnancy.

The problem I see with this is the same problem I see with step marriages. Raising children most often breaks any parents capacity for patience. I think parents are capable of greater levels of long suffering and tolerance when the child shares their genes. Yes, step children and adoption can be done, but being closely related makes it so much easier/possible for parents to perform better. Even though my brother was my fathers biological son, my father couldn't help but voice his desire to find a way to send him back or ask the factory for a remake. In many ways my father was getting a dose of strong medicine from his own traits. What's going to happen when the parents start having to deal with the negative traits shown by this child? Are they going to send him back to the sperm bank and ask for a remake? I've seen parents send an incorrigible child back to orphanges.

[_Fiannan]

Ajax 18, you would get the same issue come up for adopted kids as well.

I read that the chance of having a deformed child from artificial insemination is only 1/5 the rate as for naturally conceived children. This has nothing to do with the medical procedure, it has to do with screening. As the BBC noted in their news report last night, when interviewing the director of one of the sperm banks, they reject 95% of all men who apply. From my understanding the biggest rejection is that 2/3 of men do not have sperm viable enough to survive the freezing and thawing process. Of the rest, the existence of any physiological/genetic or psychological problems would also get a rejection. Is that fair? Why not? Men with better looks or more money get more women in the real world, attractive women get promoted in work faster than unattractive women, so why is this any different? It merely puts genetic health as a new standard of excellence.

[_ajax18]

I personally agree with you that it's not that different. The mating game has always been and always will be a merciless competition. One man's success is another man's downfall. Whether right or wrong, a lot of people are going to complain for this reason. I don't think it will be long before we see legislation regarding this. Even if a couple could manipulate the reproductive system so that they only passed their best traits on to their offspring, as was done in the movie GATTACA, many people I've spoken with don't believe it should be legal. Claims would be made such as, what about the couple who cannot afford to do this. Now their children are not going to be able to compete.

If we only have 5% of men passing on their genes, would that not reduced the genetic diversity of our species. I don't worship the new god known as diversity, but for those that do, this is another argument. Granted, humans have been polygamous animals for most of the species existence anyway, so perhaps 5% wouldn't be all that different.

Assuming you could find another female with more desirable traits than your own, would you opt to have her fertilized egg implanted as is done with race horses? Why not? How interested is a woman's current lover going to be interested in being a father to a child not biologically related to him?

[_bcspace]

I don't understand why the church would be against it. After all, Jesus was the product of A.I..

Says who?

[_Joseph]

Right Mr. Space, God came down and screwed Mary to produce the little wonder.