"Fixing" people/science used for evil

07 Jul 2010 12:13 #1 by ScienceChic
It amazes me that these types of "interventions" even occur today, in what is supposed to be an "enlightened" society.
http://www.blaghag.com/2010/07/on-fixin ... d-for.html
Same story, different blog.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... e.php#more

Genital mutilation for the sake of "fitting in" - done in the U.S.! And then questionable/sexually abusive follow-up visits...
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... c.php#more

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill

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07 Jul 2010 14:18 #2 by PrintSmith
I understand about the surgery SC, but I'm not quite as clear about the outrage regarding the research surrounding female homosexuality and the possibility that the current treatment for CAH may address one of the biological causes of homosexuality in some instances.

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07 Jul 2010 14:55 #3 by ScienceChic
Because there is a push not just to treat CAH, but to extend "treatment" to "prevent" homosexuality and "masculine traits" in women.

treatments with prenatal dexamethasone might cause these girls’ behavior to be closer to the expectation of heterosexual norms

That's a slippery slope to go down - who determines what are "norms". Where do we draw the line for these types of "treatments".

Evidence that homosexual orientation is inborn could, instead, very well lead to new means of pathologization and prevention, as it seems to be in the case we’ve been tracking.

Needless to say, we do not think it reasonable or just to use medicine to try to prevent homosexual and bisexual orientations. Nor do we think it reasonable to use medicine to prevent uppity women, like the sort who might raise just these kinds of alarms.


"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill

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07 Jul 2010 16:56 #4 by PrintSmith
Doesn't percentage of population determine what is "normal" behavior for a species? If we plot sexual orientation on a Bell Curve, wouldn't homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender and no sexual attraction all fall within the lower area of the curve and heterosexuality be the trait that the majority shared? Abnormal isn't necessarily a pejorative term after all. It is normal for a certain percentage of our species to be homosexual, but expressed as a percentage of all of the species, it would be seen as an abnormal occurrence. Albinos are also an abnormal occurrence, though it is normal to find an albino in any species.

I see nothing wrong with trying to identify the cause of homosexuality and to investigate possible ways in which it can be addressed. While most of the homosexuals I am personally acquainted with are as comfortable with their sexual orientation as I am with mine you and I can both agree that not everyone is as accepting and comfortable with it. We routinely hear homosexuals say something akin to "Why would I choose to be this way if I had a choice?" because of the hardships they have faced in their lifetime because of their sexual orientation. If that hardship could be eliminated by normalizing a statistically abnormal trait is that, in and of itself, necessarily a bad thing? If we could identify the causes of albinoism and address that while the child was still in the womb, or blindness, or deafness (all statistical abnormalities) is that to be avoided at all costs as well?

Regardless of how "enlightened" society becomes, it will always be more difficult for a homosexual child than it is for a heterosexual one if for no other reason than they will always be a statistical minority of the population. I happen to believe that homosexuals are very special people to the Creator of us all. I have yet to meet a single individual who was homosexual that was not a very remarkable person in some manner, shape or form, but perhaps I have just been very fortunate to have met some extraordinary people who happened to also be homosexuals who would have been just as extraordinary if they were heterosexually orientated.

FWIW, on a lighter note, I'm surprised that the majority of women aren't homosexuals given the burdens of putting up with men in an intimate relationship that heterosexual women must endure. I'm quite certain that CS loves me in spite of who I am more than she loves me because of who I am. That lady is a saint for putting up with me.

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