Straightening things out

This article worried me a bit when I first read it.

"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."

Yes, apparently a simple hormone patch, similar to those used by people wanting to quit smoking, could be all that you need to ensure that your kids are straight.

Perhaps most worrying is a quote from a Neurology prof.: “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.”

Two issues here 1) the idea that it could be possible to breed out homosexuality and 2) that parents should have all this freedom to decide what sort of person their child is going to be.

I could go on for hours on this subject but after reading the article I went on to read this Bad Science article. Phew! It seems like the Times got a little bit carried away, possibly something to do with the fact that the research was first mentioned in an animal rights campaign.

I'll leave the last word to Ben Goldacre:
"we cleared up the question of Lamarckian inheritance of acquired traits over 100 years ago. If it helps, you could think about whether boob jobs will make future generations have larger breasts. And even if you could intervene to make a gay human straight... you might reasonably expect this to make any inherited tendency towards homosexuality more prevalent, rather than less."