CommentsPosted on 01/30/2008 9:40:00 PM PST by Stoat
Bye bye baby: The new science means the biological role of the father is under threat
The breakthrough paves the way for lesbian couples to have children that are biologically their own.
Gay men could follow suit by using the technique to make eggs from male bone marrow.
Researchers at Newcastle upon Tyne University say their technique will help lead to new treatments for infertility.
But critics warn that it sidelines men and raises the prospect of babies being born through entirely artificial means.
The research centres around stem cells - the body's 'mother' cells which can turn into any other type of cell.
According to New Scientist magazine, the scientists want to take stem cells from a woman donor's bone marrow and transform them into sperm through the use of special chemicals and vitamins.
Newcastle professor Karim Nayernia has applied for permission to carry out the work and is ready to start the experiments within two months.
The biologist, who pioneered the technique with mice, believes early- stage 'female sperm' could be produced inside two years. Mature sperm capable of fertilising eggs might take three more years.
Early-stage sperm have already been produced from male bone marrow.
Taking stem cells from an adult donor - possibly a cancer patient - removes the ethical problems associated with using embryos.
The race to find a cure for infertility is global.
Greg Aharonian, a U.S. analyst who is trying to patent the technologies behind female sperm and male eggs, said he wants to undermine the argument that heterosexual marriage is superior because it is aimed at procreation. "I'm a troublemaker," he said.
Researchers at the Butantan Institute in Brazil, meanwhile, claim to have turned embryonic stem cells from male mice into both sperm and eggs. They are now working on skin cells.
If their experiments succeed, the stage would be set for a gay man to donate skin cells that could be used to make eggs.
These could then be fertilised by his partner's sperm and placed into the womb of a surrogate mother.
Irina Kerkis, a researcher at the Brazilian centre, said this development is possible, but raises ethical questions.
Laboratory-grown sperm and eggs offer hope for those left infertile by radiotherapy treatment when they were young.
The experiments could also provide an invaluable insight into dealing with infertility, a little understood condition that affects one in six couples.
Other scientists warn however that the research is still in its infancy and any treatment is still many years away from use in hospitals and clinics.
There are also fears that children born from artificial eggs and sperm will suffer severe health problems, like the mice in the Newcastle experiments.
Couples who have children from artificial sperm created from women would be able to have girls only. This is because the female sperm would lack the Y-chromosome needed for boys.
Robin Lovell-Badge, of the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said the creation of female sperm is at least a decade away.
Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, a campaign group, said: "We are looking at absurd solutions to very obscure situations and not addressing the main issue. Nobody is interested in looking at what is causing infertility - social reasons such as obesity, smoking and age.
"All these things would provide solutions which wouldn't grab the headlines, but a lot more people would get the response they want - which is to be able to have their own children."
Mike Judge, of the Christian Institute faith group, said the Newcastle project flies in the face of research showing that children do best when raised by a married mixed- sex couple.
"Children need male and female role models in their lives," he added. "Yes, there are children raised by single parents through all sorts of circumstances, but when you are talking about deliberately creating children in that way, that is morally wrong."
Debra Matthews, a U.S. bioethicist, said: "People want children and no one wants anyone else to tell them they can't have them."
An update of Britain's ageing fertility laws is going through Parliament and is likely to allow the use of artificial sperm and eggs in IVF treatment - but only for heterosexual couples.
The Newcastle research also paves the way for a woman to grow her own sperm and use it to fertilise her natural eggs, creating a child to which she is both mother and father.
Similarly, a man could be both father and mother to a child created with his own sperm and a lab-grown egg. Such children would be at high risk of genetic abnormality.
I was doing a little research on post modernist studies at the University of Washington and I came across a lecture series in post modernist thoughts. The title of one of the lectures was, Should Lesbians consider cloning?
Jerry Pournelle used the idea in the War World series in the late 80’s.
There is nothing new about the idea, just the technical ability has matured.
Regardless of the method used to get them here, the results of this and all “abnormal” human derived reproduction WILL BE HUMAN and must be guaranteed all the human rights and protections afforded the rest of us.
To fail to do so will make us the monsters, not these children of men.
I hope these jackasses aren’t receiving any U.S. taxpayer dollars to figure out an expensive way of doing something that we can already do for free.
Valerie Solanas ping.
No thanks, I like women.
And, may I say, a whole lot more fun.
many scientists are real dummys, trying to play God with all of their knowledge.
Me too :-)
Even if being homosexual is genetic it’s genitically incorrect, an abberation.
Why are scientists willing to pollute the species by perpetuating a genetic defect? Isn’t there any ethics against that?
For all we know homosexuality is on the Darwinian downside and will vanish in the future.
:-) Good one! i wish these scientists would work on something important - like curing cancer. Besides, I like the way God designed it.
Thanks for the ping & a bump.
Your willful, commonsense and entirely logical statement may cause you to be prosecuted under Hate Crime statutes.
Why are scientists willing to pollute the species by perpetuating a genetic defect?
Because they are able to get grant money to do it, journals will publish their white papers on the subject and provide subsequent career enhancement, and they get invited to all of the 'right' cocktail parties.
Isn’t there any ethics against that?
Ethics are politically-incorrect.
For all we know homosexuality is on the Darwinian downside and will vanish in the future.
It would indeed vanish a whole lot faster if it were not for the fact that it's being propped up by Governments and sympathetic "scientists".
You're quite welcome, and thank you very much for pinging your list :-)
Are they not going to end up with a cloned person? If you use your own marrow, it’s going to be genetically identical to you. I thought cloning people had been banned in the UK and USA.
I mean, they can say it’s fertility treatments, but it really is cloning.
That’ll never work. Who are women going to take to court to get them to support them and the baby?
Have they got a DNA answer for that one?
It is not genetic. If it was then identical twins would always both be gay 100% of the time. They are not. If one is gay, there’s a 50% chance the other will be. The fact they are not 100% of the time, but a much lower 50% of the time, proves it is not merely genetic. Plus self testimony from lesbians and gays who admit making a conscious choice to be a homosexual.
I mean, they can say it’s fertility treatments, but it really is cloning.
But if they repackage and redefine it, then it becomes legal....providing they can prevent those nosey pro-lifers, religious people and those Evil Conservatives from finding out about it....they spoil all of our fun......
(hopefully I won't be needing to add a "sarcasm" tag to that......)
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