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First designer babies to beat breast cancer (couples allowed to select screened embryos)
The Times (U.K.) ^ | April 26, 2007 | Mark Henderson

Posted on 04/25/2007 11:44:25 PM PDT by Stoat

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1 posted on 04/25/2007 11:44:28 PM PDT by Stoat
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To: neverdem

Health and Science Ping


2 posted on 04/25/2007 11:46:57 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: cpforlife.org; Coleus; cgk; narses; MHGinTN

Pro Life Ping


3 posted on 04/25/2007 11:47:54 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: wagglebee; little jeremiah

Moral Absolutes Ping


4 posted on 04/25/2007 11:49:27 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

British women still make babies?


5 posted on 04/25/2007 11:59:20 PM PDT by Bushwacker777
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To: Stoat; All

“Tests will allow the couples to take the unprecedented step of selecting embryos free from a gene that carries a heightened risk of the cancer but does not always cause it.”

And of course, in their all-knowing, all seeing intellectual state, they are proof-positive that that gene, when it does not cause or predispose one to cancer - due also to related life and environment factors - that it otherwise invokes no benefit towards any other “health” issue. /sarc

Of course, they know no such thing, but are willing to play God as if they do. The time will come when their toying with our design will turn out unforeseen burdens on humanity. But the originators of those “design corrections” will be no longer living to accept their guilt.


6 posted on 04/26/2007 12:10:44 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Wuli

That’s nice. Instead of potentially dealing with breast cancer, these kids can die of matricide.


7 posted on 04/26/2007 12:41:49 AM PDT by Marie2 (I used to be disgusted. . .now I try to be amused.)
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To: Wuli

Eh, a BRCA1 mutation is a pretty nasty little gene. And it’s little cousin BRCA2 is, as well.

These enzymes normally help repair DNA damaged by exposure to carcinogens, radiation, or just general replication errors. Mutations associated with cancer in these genes pretty much takes out a pretty important part of your DNA repair machinery. The fact that they interact with p53 ought to say enough about their roles, frankly (at least to those who research them).

I’m not for choosing designer babies, but if we can snuff out a very strong risk for a disease, I’m not wholly opposed. We already allow choice by sex to some degree. Why not for families with strong histories of disease, especially for a disease so closely linked to one single gene?

Yes, it’s a slippery slope, and on those grounds, I’ll be rethinking this. How far from there to saying you start hearing demands for this or that?


8 posted on 04/26/2007 12:50:09 AM PDT by CheyennePress
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To: Wuli

where do you think the Chupicabra came from


9 posted on 04/26/2007 12:53:18 AM PDT by advertising guy (If computer skills named us, I'd be back-space delete.)
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To: Stoat

thanks, bfl & watch out for ghouls


10 posted on 04/26/2007 1:03:20 AM PDT by neverdem (May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
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To: advertising guy

where do you think the Chupicabra came from

What is “the Chupicabra”?


11 posted on 04/26/2007 1:26:25 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: CheyennePress

“Yes, it’s a slippery slope, and on those grounds, I’ll be rethinking this”

And exactly because of that “slippery slope” I do not have to “rethink this” and the individual expedient benefits to me do not outweigh the adverse impacts to come precisely from that “slippery slope” of human hubris, arrogance, moral relativism and error that that slope will drift down into.

We are entering the territories of our worst errors - when we think we are God’s equal.

We are not.


12 posted on 04/26/2007 1:34:27 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Marie2

“That’s nice. Instead of potentially dealing with breast cancer, these kids can die of matricide.”

Oh, “these kids” being the ones that might become fully formed fetuses in the womb, before mum decides that as they have the “suspect” gene to have a partial birth abortion (her choice, not a requirement of the circumstances)

versus

the fetuses she has the lab kill anyway, for having discovered the gene sooner in their development.

And the difference in those deaths is exactly what?

Oh, that’s right, there is no difference, both are “matricide”, so your point is?

Whereas, my point is that in spite of the “possibility” of developing breast cancer, simply because of the gene, (a)some with the gene never do get breast cancer, (b)some with the gene who do get breast cancer get treatment and survive and (d) new treatments and cures are coming into the fore all the time. So, let the genes go their way, accept the child your act of pro-creation gave you, raise it and nurture it to the best of your ability and use your knowledge and faith and your child’s knowledge and faith to overcome life’s hurdles as they come, if they come.

The purpose of faith is not that life will be without hurdles, but that with faith you will get through them. Meanwhile, don’t play God.


13 posted on 04/26/2007 1:51:14 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Wuli
we think we are God’s equal.

As we kill our children before they get a disease, we try to ignore the fact that human beings get diseases, injuries, handicaps throughout life.

14 posted on 04/26/2007 4:25:06 AM PDT by syriacus (Princeton's Peter Singer-"It's OK to kill flawed infants." Cho-"It's OK to kill flawed students.")
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To: Stoat

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce... Uh, yeah, could you hold on a minute, ok I want the #3 super deal and can you add a cute little dimple in the chin, thanks.


15 posted on 04/26/2007 4:29:41 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn (I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier - San Antonio councilwoman Patti Radle)
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To: Wuli

My point is, it is killing its potential victims is an evil way to “cure” breast cancer.


16 posted on 04/26/2007 9:17:25 AM PDT by Marie2 (I used to be disgusted. . .now I try to be amused.)
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To: Stoat
Two couples whose families have been ravaged by breast cancer are to become the first to screen embryos to prevent them having children at risk of the disease, The Times has learnt.

While it does give a child the benefit of being free of a gene that greatly increases risk of a certain type of cancer, breast in this case, it does not prevent the child from getting the disease because of environmental factors, i.e. the highly argued Abortion/Breast Cancer link or no link for example and takes some focus away from those issues. It's a slippery slope.

17 posted on 04/26/2007 9:23:29 AM PDT by fortunecookie (My computer is back!)
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To: Wuli

Always wondered where in the bible it said that cannot improve our physical form or remove deficiencies?

We’re not perfect, maybe he created us weak and slow so we’d have something to build on?


18 posted on 04/26/2007 12:38:01 PM PDT by Raymann
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To: Stoat

Scary stuff.

Are we all going to be 6’2 with blonde hair in 3 more generations?


19 posted on 04/26/2007 12:39:06 PM PDT by RockinRight (Proud FREDeralist.)
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To: Marie2

My point is, it is killing its potential victims is an evil way to “cure” breast cancer.

Is it killing a victim or do the other embryos go to other couples? I would be totally into that if they did not destroy embryos.


20 posted on 04/26/2007 12:41:09 PM PDT by napscoordinator (.)
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