I can hurt a demon!! That's right. I'm back. And I'm a BLOODY ANIMAL!

Spike ,'Showtime'


Natter 33 1/3  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


§ ita § - Feb 25, 2005 11:13:47 am PST #1280 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Because she who wields the pipette wins the war.

The lesbian or female celibate who doesn't appreciate XY eye candy, you mean.

My mother splices DNA for a living, and if she could work out a way to make prettier men and more of them, well, she'd be the best mother ever, because she'd be turning out batch after batch of them.

It told me I was a .gif -- occasionally animated, but mostly I just sit there and look pretty. Huh.


Topic!Cindy - Feb 25, 2005 11:14:27 am PST #1281 of 10002
What is even happening?

In a few more years it should be possible to fertilize an egg with DNA taken from a cell other than a germ (i.e. sperm) cell . That would imply that any DNA a guy leaves around (skin, hair, saliva) could be used to turn him into a "father."
A man intentionally discharging semen in a consensual act and leaving it in the woman's possession in one way or another is no different from shedding skin that is later bioengineered to extract its DNA? The sperm banks should not bother with all those silly releases and waivers, then.


Nutty - Feb 25, 2005 11:15:59 am PST #1282 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

Nutty, you're going full-on Dworkin on me here.

Now, now. If I were being Dworkinesque, surely I would not have admitted it was an evil plan. Also, I would have used longer words.

The same is true with children who were conceived because someone lied about contraception, or suffered contraceptive failure, or who opted for a sterility procedure which did not work. Not wanting, not planning for, and not intending conception, does not relieve parents of their responsibility for their living child.

And we're back to the kleenex-in-the-trash scenario. Not wanting kids may not relieve someone of parental responsibility, but how about not engaging in activity that causes pregnancy? I think I would be pretty annoyed if someone waved their hands at me and I got pregnant.

This may be why I am not a Christian.


DXMachina - Feb 25, 2005 11:17:06 am PST #1283 of 10002
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

The two parents are responsible for the child, because it is their child. The same is true with children who were conceived because someone lied about contraception, or suffered contraceptive failure, or who opted for a sterility procedure which did not work. Not wanting, not planning for, and not intending conception, does not relieve parents of their responsibility for their living child.

So, in your view, sperm bank donors are responsible for their progeny as well?


Jessica - Feb 25, 2005 11:17:13 am PST #1284 of 10002
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

A man intentionally discharging semen in a consensual act and leaving it in the woman's possession in one way or another is no different from shedding skin that is later bioengineered to extract its DNA?

If the consensual act in question is not one that could, under any natural circumstances, result in conception, then yes, there's no difference. What if it had been a hand job and she'd extracted the sperm from the carpet fibers? Still his responsibility?


Rick - Feb 25, 2005 11:18:30 am PST #1285 of 10002

This may be why I am not a Christian.

Neither was Mary. I don't think that is much protection.


Vortex - Feb 25, 2005 11:18:48 am PST #1286 of 10002
"Cry havoc and let slip the boobs of war!" -- Miracleman

It just seems highly weird to me that she'd go through this cloak-and-dagger stuff to conceive by the guy, and then angrily hit him with a child support lawsuit when she herself is a doctor and presumably not hurting for cash.

Asking for child support forces the father to admit that he is the father and also provides an 18 year relationship with the man. It's not necessarily about the money. She could have impregnated herself to make sure that the guy would always be around (in some fashion).


Nutty - Feb 25, 2005 11:19:54 am PST #1287 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

Hm. Not to blaspheme wildly or anything, but what if Mary had said no to that angel who wanted to get all "we know eachother" with her?


Emily - Feb 25, 2005 11:20:42 am PST #1288 of 10002
"In the equation E = mc⬧, c⬧ is a pretty big honking number." - Scola

.cgi, OS/2 Warp

I have no idea what it means, really, but I feel all distinguished.

Or, wait, maybe that's undercaffeinated.


DXMachina - Feb 25, 2005 11:21:19 am PST #1289 of 10002
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

Not to blaspheme wildly or anything, but what if Mary had said no to that angel who wanted to get all "we know eachother" with her?

Well, we don't know for sure that Mary was the first one asked.