"Imagine this technology in the hands of Iran"
- From: "Mockingbird" <mockingbirdstl@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 31 Dec 2006 18:24:24 -0800
Science told: hands off gay sheep
Isabel Oakeshott and Chris Gourlay
London Times
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Experiments that claim to 'cure' homosexual rams spark anger
SCIENTISTS are conducting experiments to change the sexuality of
"gay" sheep in a programme that critics fear could pave the way for
breeding out homosexuality in humans.
The technique being developed by American researchers adjusts the
hormonal balance in the brains of homosexual rams so that they are more
inclined to mate with ewes.
It raises the prospect that pregnant women could one day be offered a
treatment to reduce or eliminate the chance that their offspring will
be homosexual. Experts say that, in theory, the "straightening"
procedure on humans could be as simple as a hormone supplement for
mothers-to-be, worn on the skin like an anti-smoking nicotine patch.
The research, at Oregon State University in the city of Corvallis and
at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, has caused an
outcry. Martina Navratilova, the lesbian tennis player who won
Wimbledon nine times, and scientists and gay rights campaigners in
Britain have called for the project to be abandoned.
Navratilova defended the "right" of sheep to be gay. She said:
"How can it be that in the year 2006 a major university would host
such homophobic and cruel experiments?" She said gay men and lesbians
would be "deeply offended" by the social implications of the tests.
But the researchers argue that the work is valid, shedding light on the
"broad question" of what determines sexual orientation. They insist
the work is not aimed at "curing" homosexuality.
Approximately one ram in 10 prefers to mount other rams rather than
mate with ewes, reducing its value to a farmer. Initially, the publicly
funded project aimed to improve the productivity of herds.
The scientists have been able to pinpoint the mechanisms influencing
the desires of "male-oriented" rams by studying their brains. The
animals' skulls are cut open and electronic sensors are attached to
their brains.
By varying the hormone levels, mainly by injecting hormones into the
brain, they have had "considerable success" in altering the rams'
sexuality, with some previously gay animals becoming attracted to ewes.
Professor Charles Roselli, the Health and Science University biologist
leading the research, defended the project.
He said: "In general, sexuality has been under-studied because of
political concerns. People don't want science looking into what
determines sexuality.
"It's a touchy issue. In fact, several studies have shown that
people who believe homosexuality is biologically based are less
homophobic than people who think that this orientation is acquired."
The research is being peer-reviewed by a panel of scientists in
America, demonstrating that it is being taken seriously by the academic
community.
Potentially, the techniques could one day be adapted for human use,
with doctors perhaps being able to offer parents pre-natal tests to
determine the likely sexuality of offspring or a hormonal treatment to
change the orientation of a child.
Roselli has said he would be "uncomfortable" about parents choosing
sexuality, but argues that it is up to policy makers to legislate on
questions of ethics.
Michael Bailey, a neurology professor at Northwestern University near
Chicago, said: "Allowing parents to select their children's sexual
orientation would further a parent's freedom to raise the sort of
children they want to raise."
Critics fear the findings could be abused.
Udo Schuklenk, Professor of Bioethics at Glasgow Caledonian University,
who has written to the researchers pressing them to stop, said: "I
don't believe the motives of the study are homophobic, but their work
brings the terrible possibility of exploitation by homophobic
societies. Imagine this technology in the hands of Iran, for example.
"It is typical of the US to ignore the global context in which this
is taking place."
Peter Tatchell, the gay rights campaigner, said: "These experiments
echo Nazi research in the early 1940s which aimed at eradicating
homosexuality. They stink of eugenics. There is a danger that extreme
homophobic regimes may try to use these experimental results to change
the orientation of gay people."
He said that the techniques being developed in sheep could in future
allow parents to "play God".
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the pressure group,
condemned the study as "a needless slaughter of animals, an affront
to human dignity and a colossal waste of precious research funds".
The tests on gay sheep are the latest in a long line of experiments
seeking to alter the sexuality of humans and animals.
Günther Dorner, a scientist in the former East Berlin, carried out
hormone-altering tests on rodents in the 1960s in the hope of finding a
way to eradicate homosexuality.
In 2002, Simon LeVay, an American neurologist, claimed to have
discovered that homosexual and heterosexual men had physically
different brains. His tests on the corpses of gay men who had died of
Aids were widely criticised.
.
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