From: forb0004@student.tc.umn.edu (Eric Forbis)
Subject: Re: Back Again To Father Notification...
Organization: University of Minnesota
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 01:14:37 GMT

In article <1992Nov2.151244.2478@panix.com> gcf@panix.com (Gordon Fitch) writes:
>Xref: news.cis.umn.edu soc.women:18330 talk.abortion:45762 alt.feminism:3577 soc.men:18360 misc.legal:17016
>Path: news.cis.umn.edu!umn.edu!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!usc!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!ukma!rutgers!cmcl2!panix!gcf
>From: gcf@panix.com (Gordon Fitch)
>Newsgroups: soc.women,talk.abortion,alt.feminism,soc.men,misc.legal
>Subject: Re: Back Again To Father Notification...
>Message-ID: <1992Nov2.151244.2478@panix.com>
>Date: 2 Nov 92 15:12:44 GMT
>References: <forb0004.27.720420157@student.tc.umn.edu> <1992Oct30.181634.12280@panix.com> <forb0004.36.720665559@student.tc.umn.edu>
>Distribution: na
>Organization: mydog in exile
>Lines: 45
>| >From: gcf@panix.com (Gordon Fitch)
>| [ a person's genes ]
>|  But does he own them?  Probably not.  He owns his body
>| >fluids (until he gives them away) but I don't know of any
>| >law under which he can claim ownership of his particular
>| >genome.  Genetic material _has_ been copyrighted, but only
>| >when it was artificially produced.
>
>forb0004@student.tc.umn.edu (Eric Forbis) writes:
>| I've heard this said many times, but haven't followed it. I _am_ my genome. 
>| I don't own myself? I can scribble off a poem in seconds and my ownership 
>| won't be doubted. I don't own me? If identity isn't self-ownership, then 
>| what can ownership ever be based on?
>
>You produced the poem, but you didn't produce the genes.
>And an identical twin could have the same genome, yet you
>would not own one another.  The genome is (as far as we
>know) just information, the specifications of how to
[Material deleted]
>
>By the way, the same argument -- that the genome of an
>individual is completely different from the genome of
>either of its parents -- would seem to weigh against the
>right of a father to be notified of his fatherhood, since
>the genes would no longer be "his."
>-- 
>

I deleted some of your interesting comments to bring two statements into 
closer proximity: a) I didn't make my own genes, so I don't own them, and b) 
because my genes differ from those of my parents, they don't own them either.
Doesn't seem like _anyone_ with a valid interest owns me- is the gov't going 
to come along and assert possesion?

Fatherhood has never depended on a claim over someone's genes, so this 
hopefully won't be an issue in the future. But I do think I "own" my genes 
through identity. Fertilization is self-guided; my own genes did their 
recombination bit all by their lonesome. I am my genes. Your genes aren't 
just a template followed to spin a body, after which are no longer 
important; you are constantly dying and being replaced, building new 
proteins, etc.. Your genome is in constant expression. You can't be 
separated from your genome without suffering death. 





> )*(    Gordon Fitch    )*(    gcf@panix.com    )*(
>( 1238 Blg. Grn. Sta.,  NY NY 10274 * 718.273.5556 )
---------

Eric Forbis      forb0004@student.tc.umn.edu
From: mikep@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Mike Powell)
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 01:11:00 GMT
Subject: Re: A GREAT Night for Americans!  (Women especially!)
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (SRSD MWTD)