3 Parent Children?

[anunitu]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

We may in fact not be completely human(us people) in the next few hundred years,but there is also the off chance we will still be alive to see it,because of it. Extension of life span is also one of the research things going on...Brave new world...here we come..

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One thing is clear,the future changes things,sometimes changes them drastically...We,the people living now,may end up like the neanderthal and eventually die out to end up in anthropology texts..

Time marches on..

[B. de Corbin]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

Other than the fact that it solves some genetic trouble, I don't see much of a problem...

Maybe it doesn't fit in with someone's idea of "natural," but what the heck? most of medicine is "unnatural"...

[Gleb]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

Maybe it doesn't fit in with someone's idea of "natural," but what the heck? most of medicine is "unnatural"...

Hehe basically it's my problem.
That's why I hate pills. I prefer herbs.

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

I wonder how this 3 parent thing would affect ancestral memory and things like that.

[habbalah]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

I would be interested to see how this will work as far as making a child with stronger genes by including more good ones and removing more bad ones. I don't have a moral issue with it; just curious to see how it will turn out.

[anunitu]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

I think of it as "code" patching updates...DNA is kind of our blueprints..

[Amadi]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

I read an article in the Economist today and from the gist of the article this is purely to allow parents to have children free of hereditary birth defects that would negatively effect life. There's not much of a case for 'designer babies' as the current permission legislation wouldn't allow it, and Shahaku hit the nail on the head really, there's a long way to go before this research comes close to specifics like a child's intelligence and outward appearance.

These aren't exactly 'test tube babies' and if anything the third parent is basically donating a cell, there is no triple parentship like some bad rom-com,the cell donor will donate a healthy egg cell and then go off to party, like how blood donors (though partying after a blood donation is a bad idea) don't hang around. No legal guardianship is currently even suggested, just a bit of DNA tossed around.
Apparently one of the only other problems is possible long-standing side effects/problems with having third party DNA passed down generations of kids.

And Hawk, this is a cure for a specific set of hereditary diseases, it's not exactly going to clear adoption entirely off the table, some people will be prompted to adopt rather than go for this procedure. It's not like suddenly every possible birth hindrance has stopped and no one is ever going to adopt. And is it really so detestable to want to have your own flesh and blood, DNA following child? I want to have a kid of my own someday, I've only really considered adoption as an alternative, does that make me a narcissistic, shot-sighted ass?

[LunarHarvest]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

It kind of irks me slightly. I think I would be fine with it in the case of life-threatening diseases, but not for ones which could be easily-treatable, or only mildly debilitating. That being said, I don't think that it should be the focus of science to seek the cure of more minor disease through genetic alteration even if it be slight. I think science is definitely able to produce the same medical advancement while leaving the genes of human beings unaltered.

That being said, it is also going to be a rather interesting development over time to see what the replacement of genetic material may cause over the long term. What if over many generations multiple procedures gradually replace the DNA of the individual to the point in which they can no longer be considered to have the genes of their ancestors? I have a feeling many philosophical questions are going to arise from this. :xD:

On a more rational level, I do have a disgust at the notion of designer babies, and have a fear that this could lead to an even greater push to increase the amount of influence and factors that can be applied and changed. Not saying that human beings are suddenly going to abandon nature's natural customisation, but that this may cause some of its more fervent proponents to push even harder, and feel like such procedures have merit.

To the more irrational level, I have slight fears that this could lead to an almost eugenics-based approach of reproduction being developed, in trying to 'perfect' the human race, but like I said that is among the worst case, irrational fears of possible outcomes if the procedure becomes widespread.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: 3 Parent Children?

...And is it really so detestable to want to have your own flesh and blood, DNA following child? I want to have a kid of my own someday, I've only really considered adoption as an alternative, does that make me a narcissistic, shot-sighted ass?

Yes and no.

It makes you typically human (urge to reproduce is standard).

However, humans are typically narcissistic, short-sighted asses, so there ya go.

Being typically human myself, I took the do-it-yourself route.

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It kind of irks me slightly. I think I would be fine with it in the case of life-threatening diseases, but not for ones which could be easily-treatable, or only mildly debilitating. That being said, I don't think that it should be the focus of science to seek the cure of more minor disease through genetic alteration even if it be slight.

This is easy to say when one is talking about someone else's problem, but then it is not one's business. Should the problem come up in your genes, where it IS your decision, then be as "ethical" as you can stand being.