www.simoncollier.ca

I’m in awe and in fear of Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.

I have just learned of it’s existence through a BBC News article. It’s used to test an embryo for disease when it is only a few days – DAYS – old. They take a sample of this little few-celled mass, check for genes that are prone to particular diseases or cancers, then remove those genes if they are present.

I know that it’s fairly strictly regulated right now, but everything starts out that way. Page-3 girls were once considered hardcore porn; the Exorcist movie was once X-rated (in the UK); the “F” word was once banned from television. All of these things change as society gets used to something.

Once PGD is commonplace, once it’s routine to us, then will we start shopping for our ideal children? In a Third Way health system, will we have fatal diseases and cancers removed as part of our base plan, then maybe $10,000 to remove susceptibility to heart disease, and another $5000 for blue eyes?

What about potpourri babies, changed so much that they are a patchwork of an original baby? Minus diseases, plus other donor’s positive traits? Once that’s commonplace, maybe we’ll allow Frankenstein’s babies to trace all of their parents and contact them? (“He has her eyes/intelligence/stamina”.)

I think this technology is amazing, and very exciting. I wonder where it will end, though.

I don’t understand society, why are we so stupid? It seems like so many people that I meet are intelligent, funny, well-rounded, reasonable creatures. Why then, when we become a mass, do we turn into such morons?

Specifically, I’m astounded that there is any debate on whether or not to teach “Intelligent Design” in schools.

The “lefties” are arguing that this blurs the separation of church and state (particularly in the U.S. it seems), and in the US that would be breaking a Big Rule. They claim that this will undermine the decisions made in the Supreme Court over the past century and is a Conservative/Republican strategy to sneak religion back into schools. They claim that it is not “true” science.

The “righties” are arguing that there is a growing argument and support for Intelligent Design and that it has a legitimate place in the classroom.

I feel so disorientated. Usually I know my left from my right, but this seems wrong.

I tend to stand a little left of centre on issues, but this goes against my beliefs completely. I have always believed that religion should not be pushed in school, that it will deter otherwise curious people from it. To enforce Christian teachings for people at a rebelious age, in a society that they know lies to them, in an institution they are trapped in, is probably a less than helpful solution.

However, I DO believe that ALL major religions should be taught in schools. Not in a “this is the true one” fashion, but rather in a way that tells our youth “these are the religions you will come across in the world, and this is what they believe”. That’s Education. More understanding of each other’s values, customs and Gods. Regardless of whether or not the teacher, school board or prevalent society thinks it’s true should not matter: they are legitimate religions followed by millions.

My belief is similar for science. Intelligent Design has, in recent years, become a major alternative theory. While it suggests a creator, it does not need to specify a particular god, it does not need to be taught as the “correct” or “only” theory. In fact, once both Darwinism and Intelligent Design have been discussed, there must be some consideration of both theories, to some degree, being compatible.

We hide a lot in our teachings: We glorify wars we won, we skip or play down wars that make us look like monsters. We learn about important people from our own history, but not so much those from other societies. We emphasise the work of certain psychologists depending on where we live in the world. We don’t need to keep this going.

We have no reason to “protect children” from the concept of Intelligent Design. Not if it is a truly reasonable, respected and supported theory. Otherwise, we are no better than those that tried to suppress the Darwin’s theory so long ago.