Here is an interesting follow up to my earlier thesis that Nature knows what it is doing. A few weeks ago
Nightline featured a story about dwarfs in Equador that are effectively immune to cancer! You can read about it here
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCall/story?id=6282128&page=1The same genetic mutation or “disorder” that causes them to be dwarfs also prevents them from developing cancer. Researchers are now studying this population of dwarfs and trying to isolate the cancer suppressant factor in their genetic code. It is still a long way off, but if their work is successful, the cure to cancer could very well come from this population of dwarfs!
Now, imagine if genetic screening were widely available (as seen in the film
Gattaca) and the parents of all these dwarfs had been told “your embryo has a mutated gene… and unless we take action your child will likely be a dwarf. Would you like us to eliminate this ‘problem’?” Most people would, of course, say “yes.” My earlier point is worth repeating here: genes that cause a predisposition to problems--even serious problems like dwarfism--may also cause benefits that we do not yet understand and cannot predict.
We do not yet know the etiology of homosexuality, but many geneticists believe that there is a genetic component to it. Now, imagine that early in your pregnancy, your doctor comes to you and says they have run a battery of tests on the embryo and they have determined that your child will likely be gay or lesbian, but they can fix this ‘problem’ by flipping a genetic switch. Most people today would opt to flip the switch . . . but mankind might regret that later!
I have long said that Nature has a reason for producing a homosexual population and that homosexuality is part of the diversity of Nature’s portfolio. We should embrace that diversity in all its forms. The diversity we reject today could be the very thing that saves us tomorrow.
