have they gone to far?????

[Billy Boy]

Has anyone heard on the news that they have created sperm from stem cells to help childless couples have children and also help women fall pregnant without men, we have a daughter by I.V.F. and i am all for helping people but i think it has gone to far this time, surely they cant be thinking on the child when they say that women can have children without a man so what happens when the child is older and asks about its dad?
They also said that they had tested it on mice and although the mice got pregnant they didnt give birth to healthy young so how can this be right.
whats everyone else's thoughts on this.

[LRM]

I agree with you. I am all for helping childless couples but this is too far.

[connieb19]

I dont know much about it so excuse me for being ignorant, but what is it you don't like about it? :confused:

[LRM]

our bodies are incredible things and I feel that we are messing with nature too much.

[Billy Boy]

i dont think its right that they are basically engineering sperm which they have admitted testing on mice and the mice gave birth to unhealthy young, fair enough they will have to do more research but personnally i dont think its right, how do you tell your kid it has no dad cos it was engineered in a lab, its just like when they cloned dolly the sheep only they are playing with human lives. but everyone is different and the next person might see it as a break through

[pink]

our bodies are incredible things and I feel that we are messing with nature too much.

I feel the same way . Far to much messing, this is the step too far.

[connieb19]

If it's just about telling a child it has no father, then that's no worse than a child who's mother dosn't know who the father is, or sperm donors. Probably everything medically has been tested on mice first. :confused

[pink]

As much as woman everywhere like to be independant from men I would not like to be this independant. Everyone everywhere has a father, some just have to look harder than others. they have a family line, Who are these people that think it is a good thing to dispose of this.

[j4bberw0ck]

they have created sperm from stem cells to help childless couples have children and also help women fall pregnant without men

I wonder if the story isn't more that, as a result of research into stem cells, sperm have been created. This helps researchers understand better how stem cells work, how they might be used to cure diseases and so on.

Then add the sensationalising media take (because they have papers and advertising space to sell) and suddenly the story is about creating babies without men.

If it's the first - as I suspect it is - then I'm all in favour. There are regulatory means of preventing the second, at least in the UK and Europe, and very probably the US as well.

[Billy Boy]

[quote=j4bberw0ck]I wonder if the story isn't more that, as a result of research into stem cells, sperm have been created. This helps researchers understand better how stem cells work, how they might be used to cure diseases and so on.


If that is the case then fair enough, but if not then the other side of the coin is that it would enable childless couples, single women & gay couples to have kids, where as they might not of been able to otherwise. each to their own.

[orkneylass]

single women and gay couples can have children without this technology and without having sex with a partner of the opposite gender - it's called a turkey baster.

[changilass]

If that is the case then fair enough, but if not then the other side of the coin is that it would enable childless couples, single women & gay couples to have kids, where as they might not of been able to otherwise. each to their own.


Sperm donors allowed this to happen anyway, and untill recently the donors were allowed anonimity. Since the law changes, donor numbers have gone down drasticaly, which is a possible explanation for this new research.

Not too sure I am comfortable with it, but should help only be given to those couples where it is the woman suffering the infertility problems. How do we help couples where the man has a low or even non existant sperm level.

[pultneytooner]

Has anyone heard on the news that they have created sperm from stem cells to help childless couples have children and also help women fall pregnant without men, we have a daughter by I.V.F. and i am all for helping people but i think it has gone to far this time, surely they cant be thinking on the child when they say that women can have children without a man so what happens when the child is older and asks about its dad?
They also said that they had tested it on mice and although the mice got pregnant they didnt give birth to healthy young so how can this be right.
whats everyone else's thoughts on this. Okay, I feel sorry for people who have tried and can't have kids and those that have to go through I.V.F treatment, you are quite right in saying this is wrong but I am afraid this is the road that humanity is going to go down whether we like it or not, genetic engineering is here to stay but as far as I know using stem cells to grow anything is illegal at the moment as christopher reeve paid with his life.

[LRM]

I suppose a lot of people were shocked about the first test tube baby (was it Louise Brown?) all those years ago and now it is accepted as "normal". Maybe in 20 years this sperm from stem cells will be...

[pultneytooner]

I suppose a lot of people were shocked about the first test tube baby (was it Louise Brown?) all those years ago and now it is accepted as "normal". Maybe in 20 years this sperm from stem cells will be...
I certainly hope not, http://www.tus-kvcd-group.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/OMG.gif no more need to lurvmakehttp://www.ukbandmates.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/war.gif

[LRM]

I certainly hope not, http://www.tus-kvcd-group.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/OMG.gif no more need to lurvmakehttp://www.ukbandmates.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/war.gif

I can hear the collective gasp of all the male .orgers, and the relieved sigh of all the tired and weary wives...........

[mccaugm]

I am sad for people who cannot experience the joy of children....although I think that adoption and fostering is an alternative. Maybe that makes me naive.
What I really do not like is messing with nature to the extent that a woman of normal grandmother age i.e. 62 is allowed to get pregnant.

[changilass]

I am sad for people who cannot experience the joy of children....although I think that adoption and fostering is an alternative. Maybe that makes me naive.

Fostering and adoption are an alternative, however, taking the decision to go down that route when you are desperate for your own biological child is a very difficult decision to make.

If you have previously gone down the IVF route, agencies will not take you onto their books without first knowing that you are no longer persuing having your own biological family, they want to know that you will treat any child coming into your house as one of your own. Also there are very few babies put up for adoption, some people just want to be able to hold their own baby in their arms. Making the final decision can feel like a berevement, whatever is decided.


What I really do not like is messing with nature to the extent that a woman of normal grandmother age i.e. 62 is allowed to get pregnant.[/quote]

Totally agree with you on this point, I find this a very selfish decision on the part of the parent.

[rich]

In my opinion they have not gone far enough. Nature is taking its course with my body and I want it stopped any way possible.
I'll spare you the details but it has been downhill all the way. ANd I'm just talking about my jowls.
I daren't say more for fear of being barred from my last place of refuge, the Caithness org.
I would like more information please on the turkey baster metioned a few posts back. Is there any hope of implanting cells with it to rejuvenate me?
Would anyone like to donate a few cells to get me on the right track to the fountain of youth?
Thank you.

[pultneytooner]

In my opinion they have not gone far enough. Nature is taking its course with my body and I want it stopped any way possible.
I'll spare you the details but it has been downhill all the way. ANd I'm just talking about my jowls.
I daren't say more for fear of being barred from my last place of refuge, the Caithness org.
I would like more information please on the turkey baster metioned a few posts back. Is there any hope of implanting cells with it to rejuvenate me?
Would anyone like to donate a few cells to get me on the right track to the fountain of youth?
Thank you. Sorry mate, just grow old gracefuly like the rest.[lol]

[squidge]

I am always very careful of any media speculation about "frankenstien experiments" I remember very clearly when Patrick Steptoe announced the birth of the first test tube baby and if we had taken the view that it was too far and unnatural then we would have denied many couples the chance of a family. I will wait and see what develops i think.

[connieb19]

Do the people who are against it think contraception is messing with nature too? Ar you against it? :confused:

[_Ju_]

The purpose of these experiments are not necessarily the production of sperm cells. Frontier experimentation of this type made possible the treatment of many diseases that killed only a few years ago. The way medicine has advanced is by pushing the limits a bit futher back all the time.

However, I do agree that you cannot mess with some things. Science cannot be allowed to create designer babies, but eventually it will happen, unfortunately. The reason it will happen is that we still need to experiment to find cures for certain diseases and the technology that these experiments produce can be applied in an unethical way to reproduction.

Its a pity we can't make sure that all children in the world are in families that love and cherish them before looking at medically assisted procreation.