This upsetting story is found in full at The Telegraph.
Sperm cells have been created from a female human embryo in a remarkable breakthrough that suggests it may be possible for lesbian couples to have their own biological children...
[Right away the Irony that they are using EMBRYONIC stem cells to create sperm that they hope will create an embryo is not lost on me]
...It raises the possibility of lesbian couples one day having children who share both their genes as sperm created from the bone marrow of one woman could be used to fertilise an egg from her partner...[Ya know.. there might be a NATURAL reason as to why no new life could come naturally out of same sex relationships, Maybe there is a way to reproduce the human species that would seem much more natural than bringing a scientist into the equasion... but naw... lets waste Millions of dollars on research to find alternate ways to Reproduce humans and then murder those embryos that are not wanted]
...Men and women differ because of what are called sex chromosomes. Both have an X chromosome. But only men possess a Y chromosome that carries several genes thought to be essential to make sperm, so there has been scepticism that female stem cells could ever be used to make sperm...
[You Think there would be a natural reason that a male is needed to reproduce but lets ignore the natural evidence too!]
“I think, in principle, it will be scientifically possible,” Prof Nayernia told New Scientist.
He said that he has applied for ethical approval from the university to use bone marrow stem cells from women to start experiments to derive female sperm...
However, Dr Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell and sex determination expert at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, doubts it will work: “The presence of two X chromosomes is incompatible with this. Moreover they need genes from the Y chromosome to go through meiosis. So they are at least double-damned.”
[Once again the Irony is not lost on me here... we could add a Third Dammed as well.. and thats the one that lasts forever]
If all these experiments pan out, then the stage would also be set for a gay man to donate skin cells that could be used to make eggs, which could then be fertilised by his partner’s sperm and placed into the uterus of a surrogate mother....
“I think it is possible,” says Kerkis, “but I don’t know how people will look at this ethically.”
[Oh really... You think it might be a problem?... These are suppose to be some of the smartest folks around and they are looking at the ethical issues AFTER the fact?]
The UK parliament is now debating changes to the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, and the government is under pressure to include an amendment that would allow the future use of eggs and sperm grown in the lab from stem cells.
However, a clause added to this amendment would restrict this to sperm from genetic males and eggs from genetic females.
Lets do some extra penance this Lent.. this world is going to need it
1 comment:
A fluffy question to follow such a serious post, but.... may I tag you for a meme?
http://quovadiscatholic.blogspot.com/2008/02/tagged.html
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