The times we should not...

" Hell isn't merely paved with good intentions; it's walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too." --Aldous Huxley

I can see why some people are so violently opposed to stem cell research; but not for the reasons they claim. Stem cell research will not kill any babies. Those who want to have an abortion will get an abortion. The stem cell

s of those children coud save the loves of countless other children and adults. Medical breakthroughs are possible in the areas of inherited diseases, genetic pre-disposition to cancer, auto-immune disorders, heart and lung problems, the list could be endless. Imagine Johnny, home from Iraq, where a firebomb took his leg and with stem cells, in a few weeks or months, Johnny could be whole again. Many of these potential diseases lurk in the geome and only cause their chaos in combination. There is more to genetic theory in this new milineum than existed for Gregor Mendel and his wrinkled peas.

Genetic combinations may cause particular behaviors, ie.: aggression, bi-polar disorder, depression, a tendency to become a sociopath, the areas of investigation are so new, the science is so young, we do not know where it will lead.

However, in my time on this earth I have noticed something. Generally speaking, by my observation, most of nature statistically falls into a standard bell curve.

Most any human endeavor can be represented on the curve, test scores, percentage of population with certain genetic markets, almost anything canbe charted. The normal is represented by the line in the middle of the bell and encompasses the lines to the left and right.

The further to the left you go, usually means the lower the score, higher amount of defect, further from the ideal. The right side of the bell represents the ideal - perfection.

I have already mentioned that genes can have many functions in combination with each other. They also can change function with the addition of RNA or another protein.

Science has not mapped out the chain reaction of every protien to every gene nor every gene to every form of RNA. This leaves us with the dilemma of good intentions.

Where is the line drawn between the "good" use of genetic manipulation and the horrific use of same. Unfortunately, the Sarrans found the answer long before the Plague hit their planet. A genetic manipulation meant to create beauty, great strength and intelligence levels for all children in the upper 4.5% of the Bell Curve seemed to have succeeded over two generations. It was in the third generation that the change became noticeable. The number of femspring born decrease by apupproximately 10% the first year. The mutated gene rippled through the population until it affected the entire gene pool. By the third generation there were 30% less femspring born than offspring, clans began to lock up the fems. By the fifth generation the fem population was 60% less than it had been before the new gene infected the pool. Thus began the Clan Wars. You could say that it was too much of a good thing, or you could quote Aldous Huxley as I did above.