From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos   
   From Address: jsavard@ecn.ab.ca   
   Subject: Re: Shatner sick of Star Trek feuds   
      
   On Dec 6, 5:35apm, Wickeddoll  wrote:   
   > I *do* support sterilizing (you can do that   
   > temporarily in women - not sure about men) two mentally impaired people   
   > who want to be sexual partners, or in some cases, marry. aI think that's   
   > a good idea, but more because I don't think they're equipped to handle   
   > parenthood, further, the child would (I think) have at least some   
   > impairment as well, which would make it even *more* difficult.   
   In *principle*, I have no problem with that. In practice, though,   
   programs to sterilize the mentally retarded ended up doing the   
   following:   
   - sterilizing people who were exposed to lead paint, or who were   
   otherwise harmed environmentally;   
   - sterilizing the hearing-impaired;   
   - facilitating sexual abuse of mentally-retarded girls in institutions   
   who wouldn't normally even had the opportunity to get pregnant.   
   Thus, except for my opposition to irrationality in general, I'm happy   
   to see eugenics remain a taboo as long as the odds are that removing   
   it would only lead to worse irrationalities.   
   Since bans against incest are... traditional, and well established...   
   I don't think that *they* are part of a slippery slope to eugenics,   
   any more than the repeal of Prohibition is part of a slippery slope to   
   the legalization of marijuana, cocaine, and opium. An observer just   
   arrived from Mars might think that, but that would be the result of   
   insufficient study of our culture.   
   John Savard   
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