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Although I draw the line at claiming schizophrenia has long term survival value for the human species, the mere fact a common gene has survived for millions of years is enough evidence for me to believe that the species, if not the individual, needs it in the long run!

Now, a thought. There's currently a theory on the table that the mutation(s) that causes CF (cystic fibrosis) is the reason any human beings survive the recurring visits of what we know as The Black Plague.

It's like sickle cell disease. You need one factor only to have immunity to the infection being protected against. If you have two factors you suffer from the pain of sickle cell. If you have no factors, you just die from malaria.

In this case, if you have one copy of the factor you are immune from black plague. Alas, if you have two you may die quite early due to CF. If you have no factors, if black plague comes around you just die.

So, it may be possible through careful genetic counseling to create a race of humans who do not have the CF factor. No one would have CF anymore.

Then when the Black Plague visits again, and the antibiotics fail, everyone will simply die.

Like to note that what happens with CF, since those without the factor can survive to breed ~ you end up with a population without CF factor. Over time they come to dominate and might grow to be as much as 90% of your population. Other places maybe they're only 50%, and in other places 10%.

This would explain why the death rates reported in the Medieval period were all over the place. In some places everybody died. In other places hardly anyone died.

So, what's the ethical value in stripping the CF gene from humanity? It kills and it saves both!