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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1982)
opinion Test tube insemination prompts questions December 28 marked the birthday of a truly wondrous being — America’s first test-tube baby. All manner of media were quick to ballyhoo such a marvelous event. Nary was heard a discouraging word on the amazing vitro fertilization process that was successful for Judith Carr. But if you look at the whole picture it’s not so rosy — in fact, it’s rather frightening. The proud parents were quoted as saying they had “no words to express our thanks to those who helped make this possible." May we suggest the Carr’s thank the legion of scientists, gene ticists and computer programmers who had a hand in this “miraculous" conception. And lest we forget to thank — all the mad scientists of fictional literature who dared to dream of creating life-in a-bottle In the immortal words of Colin Clive — as the monster twitched under the exploding elec trodes in the movie Frankenstein — “Now I know what it feels like to be God." “We have the technology" a televsion show used as its rationale for reconstructing a human being from various tubes and wires and space-age alloys. The implication was that having the technology to reconstruct a human made its implementation obligatory — ethical and moral considerations be damned This pervasive atti tude is the reason the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki The devastation of Hiroshima, it was felt, was not enough proof to the Japanese Hav ing the technology has been the justification for other instances of reckless scientificism Need less atomic tests — the abuse of Agent Orange — the testing and leaking of biological warfare agents, these and other abuses were all justified under the banner of useful technology We have the technology to kill. Now, through test-tube insemination, we have the technology to create life-in-a-bottle Isn’t it rather frightening — technology that is both life and death — being used with who knows what results for the future? A test-tube insemin ated human being smacks of dangerous tamper ing It raises fundamental questions that will one day have to be resolved What if the test-tube inseminated being is not normal? Who orders it to be destroyed? With the test-tube insemination can the "parent” be a third party unrelated to the couple? Would it then be possible to breed a race of superhumans? If so, it will also be possible to breed a race of slaves? What is really appalling in this media celebri tyhood of America's first test-tube baby is the reaction from childless couples. There were thousands of parentless children seeking adop tion But now childless couples are contacting the vitro fertilization clinics seeking test-tube in semination rather than adopt racially-mixed, han dicapped, or older children It's odd that rignt-to-nre groups are not damning such unnatural means of conception as loudly as they damn abortion It seems strangely incongruous for an anti-abortion group to be declaring that ail conception is mandated from God and should not be tampered with — and then to be only slightly opposed to laboratory insemin ation There will come a time, perhaps very soon, when technology will become all-too-pervasive and outstrip its usefulness to humankind without moral and ethical considerations Instead of a partnership of science advancing society we may see science disrupting the society and plunging us into dark ages % TUAN YOU WWlii SOLIDARITY REAFFIRMED Disrespected Free, black, and 21 I have been treated very in just, put down, disrespected and they messed with my man hood Valuable things have been stolen from me My race of women have turned against me Some of them became prostitutes Homosexuality is involved in this type of ugliness If someone would like to help me with this, you can call me at this number 344-1841 My nationality is Black and Indian Peace to all Let’s love each other Let's share with each other Under God all people are sis ters and brothers The rich should share with the poor I will pray tor you Stanford Brown Lawrence St. Porn's place I would like to applaud the author of "What's all this fuss about pornography'?" (Emerald Dec 14) Sex is the next best thing to making love so we should encourage porno shoppes all across America I used to always get terribly alarmed and raise dispropor tionate ruckuses when ever I saw skin, but now I realize that we should carry on the Botticelli tradition and exploit skin as much as possible Lusting after the human body is the best way to appreciate its beauty I used to think my religion would con demn this kind of enlightened education, but hey. God isn't against porn — He created Adam and Eve naked, didn't He? I really lament missing out on the dirty grizzly-bearded hairy-fingered old men of the good ol days, long black coats decked out with outrageously priced dirty pictures (how quaint) I'll be sure to take my son to see some stag films'' — that way he'll know all about it and won't be asking me embar rassing questions, and stag films will sure teach him more about being a man that any rough and ready Western could I don't know much about hell, so I’ll have to take the author's word for it that it hasn't over flowed But since it hasn't, mainstream (good) porno graphy must be okay So let's all daily emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during finals week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co at the University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon. 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald operates independently ot the University and is a member of the Associated Press Offices are on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union Nows and Editorial Display Advertising and Business Classified Advertising Production Editor Managing Editor News Editor 686-5511 686-3712 686-4343 686-4381 Sally Hodgkmson Gabriel Boehmer Harry Esteve Assistant News Editor Photo Editor Graphics Editor Editorial Page Editor Sports Editor Associate Sports Editor Associate Editors ASUO Community Departments and Schools Higher Education Features Politics 'Environment Night Editor General Staff Classified Advertising Production Manager Advertising Director Ad Services Controller John Healy Boh Baker Man DeRungs Cort Fernald Steve Spatz Jett Dickerson Dane Claussen Marian Green Debbie Hewlett Ann Portal Caroline Petrich Ron Hunt Debbie Howlett Sally OI|ar Ann Peterson Darlene Gore Carol McMullen Jean Ownbey fight to overthrow old-fogey parents and traditional values and humble Springfield citizens, and to give obscenity, porno graphy and erotica their proper place in American society John J. Gibbons GTF Rousted Dec 11 I crashed at the Out door Program I had spent a good part of the day working on the OP's van, and that evening I tried to get caught up on my homework there It became late, so I decided to sleep off the rest of the night there In the morn ing I planned to study some more But at 3 a m three secur ity officers came in and rudely woke me They told me “Get out, or you'll be taken to jail for trespassing " After confirming that I was indeed a student, they gave back my ID By this time there were five security officers present (at a hefty rate per hour that came from, of course, University funds), to lay down a bullshit rule on me, a mere student I left I waited out-of sight to see them leave, and an hour after the whole ordeal began they were still there I figured I’d found their hangout The next day the door was locked, against policy The Outdoor Program is a cooperative, and the room it occupies in the basement of the EMU is supposed to be un locked 24 hours a day. all year long This is because it is in tended to be used at any time, in any non-destructive manner, to serve students and the com munity alike So why did I get busted for doing such a destructive thing as sleeping there on a chance occassion? If I were to live there I could see the differ ence But not for just once dur ing Dead Week It is ironic that I put as much work and energy into the Out door Program as I do and yet I still get treated like this by Cam pus Security Though I realize there has been somewhat of a problem with transients using the OP. this still does not justify the rude treatment I received I am sure there is nothing in their work contract that calls for them to be the crude assholes they were that Friday night The most important aspect of this is that I let it happen to me — as I will never do again I'll refuse until they tail me next time Our tuition goes up — we do nothing Security plays a power trip and we do nothing The apathy of the '70 s is a habit to be changed The crap is getting too deep We need to stand up for our rights and be proud of it Bob Breeden Psychology
