Wednesday, January 24, 2007

You know they've at least thought it.

Dear Genetic Scientists,

We are writing to inform you of our grave concerns about the progress of your efforts allowing parents to select which genes they pass on to their children. While we certainly understand the potential to keep children from inheriting debilitating diseases, we harbor grave doubts about whether or not the technology would prove too tempting not to use for more superficial reasons. Simply stated our fear is that parents would begin using gene selection to ensure their children better conform to the societal standard that many call "normal" or "beautiful."

Many see these potential alterations as a grave moral or religious issue. That is not our concern. Our worry is that allowing some people to select what their children will look like will do infinite harm to others' ability to select television programs they now regularly enjoy. Programs such as Little People Big World, 600lb. Woman, and Extreme Makeover would be irreperably harmed by any action to eliminate physical challenges inherited at birth. Our opinion is that the viewing pleasure of television audiences outweighs whatever challenges may face individuals with physical deviations from the norm.

We appreciate your time in considering our position. Our hope is that you will agree and no further action need be taken.

Sincerely,

The Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel, and ABC

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