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In the end, does it really matter that much who provided the DNA? Family is mostly socially constructed anyway - just because half the children's DNA comes from

by deogeo 8y ago

In the end, does it really matter that much who provided the DNA? Family is mostly socially constructed anyway - just because half the children's DNA comes from someone else, doesn't mean they belong any less to the parents who raised them.

ZeroFries 8y ago
Of course it does. DNA plays a large role in a person's life including their health risks. You'd want to your doctor to be honest with you about what they're putting in your body, wouldn't you?
lsiq 8y ago
You realize you are basically defending open cuckoldry right? What world do we live in now where some creepy doctor decides to inseminate all his patients, paternity is completely irrelevant, and any sperm is a good as any other. The worst part is, you are not alone in this sentiment. Watch me get downvoted to oblivion.
dr_ 8y ago
I don't disagree with this, but the children have the right to know - for example, are there inheritable medical conditions which they may be at risk for? or if not medical, what about inheriting other traits? I think this paragraph summed up this concern well: "Ballard struggled with what it meant, existentially, to have inherited the DNA of a man who would lie to his patients and abuse his position as a doctor. Whatever made him do it, was that inside her, too? She knew the thought wasn’t entirely rational, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that a dark impulse might be lurking deep within her."
minkeymaniac 8y ago
I would say yes.... for example if heart disease doesn't run in your 'family' but it does in the doctor's, it would be good to know.... same is true for other diseases
onemoresoop 8y ago
Do you not care if you raise a kid that looks like your doctor?
jerkstate 8y ago
It's fraud and it harms trust in the medical profession. It's like if you asked a tattoo artist to ink you with the Chinese symbol for "woke progressive" but instead they give you a tattoo that translates to "easily fooled."
denzil_correa 8y ago
If it doesn't matter, there's no issue being transparent about it.
vokep 8y ago
Truth be told I don't have a good argument against "Family is mostly socially constructed anyway" But the idea of this not mattering, of the DNA not being very meaningful, seems deeply, deeply wrong. A gut feeling that says "Absofuckinglutely NOT".
something2 8y ago
In the case of switching the eggs, is it possible that the host mother would be more likely to reject it? Because in that case, I feel it's a fairly clear case in which you have directly affected one's ability to have a family by doing this.
- tathougies 8y ago
  Not sure about one woman's eggs in another woman, but this is certainly true of an anonymous sperm donor. In order to have the lowest chance of pre-eclampsia the woman needs to have been exposed vaginally to the man's semen for six months. Donor sperm children thus have higher rates of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24011785 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24011785 Similarly, donor sperm has been shown to increase pre-eclampsia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282539 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282539 Not all sperm is the same, regardless of what the market or the fertility industry thinks. There's a purpose to the act of sex.
bdamm 8y ago
Which is great for people that can't have or don't want to raise their own DNA. But there's no way I'm signing up for that. The fact is that DNA matters a lot, and the linkage between DNA and behavior is only just starting to be unraveled. Parenting matters a lot too, but it's not the whole picture.
aidenn0 8y ago
My experience with adopted children: - It matters a lot to some - It matters a a bit to most - It matters little to none to some The quotes from the article seems to confirm this. To pile on to that anecodotal eveidnce, here's another quote from an adoptee I know: "Just because I know I'm way better off being raised by [adoptive parents] doesn't mean I don't feel abandoned by [biological parents]" [edit] And at least from a biological standpoint, since your brain was evolved for the sole purpose of aiding in spreading the genes you posses, it makes sense that it would matter to your brain.
nomel 8y ago
I think this depends on if you believe that personality and ability comes from nature or nurture. I assume some would like their children to have traits similar to their own which could include personality/mental health, IQ, physical health, etc. You're reasonably bounded by each parents family history. On the other side, you may be using a donor to exclude one parents genetics, due to a known genetic issue. Getting some random guys DNA eliminates any sort of ability for selection, which is what choosing a partner, or choosing to not reproduce with a partner, is.
Chris_Chambers 8y ago
You think DNA’s only function is to influence cosmetic traits? Really?

by deogeo 8y ago

ZeroFries 8y ago

Of course it does. DNA plays a large role in a person's life including their health risks. You'd want to your doctor to be honest with you about what they're putting in your body, wouldn't you?

lsiq 8y ago

You realize you are basically defending open cuckoldry right? What world do we live in now where some creepy doctor decides to inseminate all his patients, paternity is completely irrelevant, and any sperm is a good as any other. The worst part is, you are not alone in this sentiment. Watch me get downvoted to oblivion.

dr_ 8y ago

I don't disagree with this, but the children have the right to know - for example, are there inheritable medical conditions which they may be at risk for? or if not medical, what about inheriting other traits? I think this paragraph summed up this concern well: "Ballard struggled with what it meant, existentially, to have inherited the DNA of a man who would lie to his patients and abuse his position as a doctor. Whatever made him do it, was that inside her, too? She knew the thought wasn’t entirely rational, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that a dark impulse might be lurking deep within her."

minkeymaniac 8y ago

I would say yes.... for example if heart disease doesn't run in your 'family' but it does in the doctor's, it would be good to know.... same is true for other diseases

onemoresoop 8y ago

Do you not care if you raise a kid that looks like your doctor?

jerkstate 8y ago

It's fraud and it harms trust in the medical profession. It's like if you asked a tattoo artist to ink you with the Chinese symbol for "woke progressive" but instead they give you a tattoo that translates to "easily fooled."

denzil_correa 8y ago

If it doesn't matter, there's no issue being transparent about it.

vokep 8y ago

Truth be told I don't have a good argument against "Family is mostly socially constructed anyway" But the idea of this not mattering, of the DNA not being very meaningful, seems deeply, deeply wrong. A gut feeling that says "Absofuckinglutely NOT".

something2 8y ago

In the case of switching the eggs, is it possible that the host mother would be more likely to reject it? Because in that case, I feel it's a fairly clear case in which you have directly affected one's ability to have a family by doing this.

tathougies 8y ago
Not sure about one woman's eggs in another woman, but this is certainly true of an anonymous sperm donor. In order to have the lowest chance of pre-eclampsia the woman needs to have been exposed vaginally to the man's semen for six months. Donor sperm children thus have higher rates of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24011785 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24011785 Similarly, donor sperm has been shown to increase pre-eclampsia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282539 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282539 Not all sperm is the same, regardless of what the market or the fertility industry thinks. There's a purpose to the act of sex.

bdamm 8y ago

Which is great for people that can't have or don't want to raise their own DNA. But there's no way I'm signing up for that. The fact is that DNA matters a lot, and the linkage between DNA and behavior is only just starting to be unraveled. Parenting matters a lot too, but it's not the whole picture.

aidenn0 8y ago

My experience with adopted children: - It matters a lot to some - It matters a a bit to most - It matters little to none to some The quotes from the article seems to confirm this. To pile on to that anecodotal eveidnce, here's another quote from an adoptee I know: "Just because I know I'm way better off being raised by [adoptive parents] doesn't mean I don't feel abandoned by [biological parents]" [edit] And at least from a biological standpoint, since your brain was evolved for the sole purpose of aiding in spreading the genes you posses, it makes sense that it would matter to your brain.

nomel 8y ago

I think this depends on if you believe that personality and ability comes from nature or nurture. I assume some would like their children to have traits similar to their own which could include personality/mental health, IQ, physical health, etc. You're reasonably bounded by each parents family history. On the other side, you may be using a donor to exclude one parents genetics, due to a known genetic issue. Getting some random guys DNA eliminates any sort of ability for selection, which is what choosing a partner, or choosing to not reproduce with a partner, is.

Chris_Chambers 8y ago

You think DNA’s only function is to influence cosmetic traits? Really?