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Comment by josephcsible | Hacker News Reader

Sure, that end is noble, but the ends don't always justify the means.

I don’t understand. Are you saying there’s some negative impact to allowing people to have children who otherwise couldn’t? What problems do you foresee?

I commented above a few of the issues I see. For example, would Lebron James (or any celebrity or person that has genetics that are profitable) be afraid of giving blood for fear of someone making Lebron 2.0 without his permission?

Or, literally some kind of false paternity fraud - such a child would come with certain legal rights and privileges.

That's not a new problem, in the USA even a man who is raped can be forced to pay child support to his rapist.

Obviously these child support laws are in need of reform.

Once humans (and other animals) can be created without parents being involved, there will be many ethical issues.

At what point do they attain human rights? At conception? At "birth" from an artificial womb? What defines "human" in "human rights"? (Can they knock out a few genes and make a sentient creature that is capable of suffering but not human? We have sentient non-humans suffering in factory farms already.) How will we prevent people/corporations/governments/religions from just deciding to create a bunch of people? What does regulation look like in this inevitable future?

>At what point do they attain human rights? At conception? At "birth" from an artificial womb?

This is hardly a new issue

The issue is currently limited to pregnant women.

> Are you saying there’s some negative impact to allowing people to have children who otherwise couldn’t?

In and of itself, no. I'm saying there's issues with some particular ways of doing so.

Personally, I foresee breeding programs for armies to create perfect soldiers. I foresee breeding programs for a permanent slave underclass. How can you not see the problems?

Governments buying soldiers from birth.

Obviously, but this is not so different from "regular" IVF for example. I'd have liked a little bit more explanation from GP about why these particular means go too far for them whereas current fertility treatments don't, instead of just throwing a blanket suggestion of unethicalness out there.

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