At 9:45 AM -1000 1/13/99, Jay Hanson wrote: ----- Original Message ----- From: David Burman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >I think the issues in genetic engineering are not whether it is moral or >diabilical, but the introduction of hitherto unknown elements into the >natural world - mixing genes from different species in one organism. It is >not at all far fetched to imagine new human genetic diseases being >introduced from donor species, in the process of "curing" human diseases. >In the quest for perfection - but more realistically in the quest for new >markets - many new problems (with which we will have no experience) >will be >introduced to complement the old ones that we are familiar with. > >In general, I agree with you David. But I believe an exception should be >made to cure an epidemic that threatens to destroy all of civilization: > the "baby epidemic". > ... > >The most humane method I can imagine is "contagious contraceptives". See >NEGATIVE POPULATION GROWTH: Why We Must, and How We Could, Achieve It, >by John B. Hall, University of Hawaii. Population and Environment, Volume >18, Number 1, September 1996. What this article describes sounds not so much like genetic engineering as contraceptive vaccination. That is certainly another controversial subject, but it is quite distinct from genetic engineering, the essential issue with respect to which I think David Burman has described with admirable conciseness. Caspar davis
