[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "No, she'd be my last guess for a clone. She's studied up on it, but that's not how she came into the world."

"There's a third option?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"I'll see if I can find someone to answer those for you. In real time. Or even in person."

"Wow, you can do that? Thanks!"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Biased FOR cloning. The basic theory of what should be happening. The blueprint its all based on."

"And this is the government people are rebelling against, for being anti-cloning?"

"Guess it figures though; there's the way it's supposed to be and the way it is, even here."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "Lots of related people are utterly lacking in that, and lots of unrelated people get along just great. Familial love is great. Except when it leads to bizarre life-long obligations to people you never met and have no ties to other than genetic."

"Maybe you're right. People do come from broken homes after all... But I'm still almost certain my life would have been better if someone did feel a bizarre life-long obligation to me..."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "I've got enough family to take care of one more sibling dying. My current contribution is mostly financial... they say it helps. If it was just me and one or two kids left... hard to say. I'm not good with children like the others. I'd probably end up hiring someone or finding just the right creche..."

Seven:"Where were we? Unplanned births and orphans? unwanted births generally end up with relatives or creches. It all Depends on the family. Orphans are the same way, depending on who is left."

Seems a bit depressing, imagine that it's just an obligation that needs to be handled...

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "Would that really solve the issue? The basic technology can't be restricted, not with putting back reproductive medicine hundreds of years."

"... And just telling people not to do it wouldn't work either? I mean, maybe like inspections or something? Or would that create a 'chaotic mess'?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "And you've seen what's happened when we've slowed down the cloning."

Well that's surprising. "I have? When? Do they usually employ more social workers to stop kidnappings?"

I suppose Seven might be referring to the dingier section of the other station. If so,

"Isn't that concordance territory?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven: "And we enjoy one of the best standards of living out there because of the cloning program."

"And you couldn't maintain that without cloning because...?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"If they worshiped something or had rituals it wouldn't be mere accusations. It's a... cause unto itself. People join the creche centers because they believe in the cause, and all the ethics and child-bearing that go with it. They believe raising children is the highest possible duty and joy, or something like that. I don't get it. I'm making a lot of money and I'll help those people out, but I don't have time to devote my life to life and love and all that."

Hm... Sounds like that might actually be an OK place...

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven:"Because life and love and all that. They have to raise the kid, and they care. The caretakers of the kid have to say yes."

"Yeah, but like, who selects the creche? And they aren't all the same, right? Surely there could be abuse somewhere along the line."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Seven:"Sure... if the father is going to be helping to raise the kid. If he doesn't agree, he doesn't owe anyone anything."

"So if a father is going to help raise the kid, then he should get input in whether there should be a kid at all, and if not then he doesn't deserve any input at all? Seems like a catch-22."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"the sections of code that get transferred from your parents are a lot bigger than individual words. More like pages."

"8 million combinations though... Still enough to be unique, even just from one pair of parents."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"When's the last time you left your arm on a table?"

My eyes unfocus briefly, "It was three years ago. Good children don't leave their arms on the table..."

I shake it off. "I guess I get what you mean?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Or if we want to say hair... Do you have a right to the hair you're leaving all over this computer? Do you have some right to demand I not make a copy of your hair?"

"I dunno, why would anyone want my hair? And if they did, why should someone who's not me decide who gets my hair?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"DNA is information. If I take your arm, you don't have it anymore. If I take a copy of your DNA, you aren't any poorer."

"Well, unless you count, 'poorer from being filled with worries'."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Unless you happen to be a trade secret or patented or a military secret... You aren't any of those things are you? Not that its going to stop anything, or that they're just, but I like to know what the laws are before I break them. Keeps me looking for the relevant threats."

"Not that I know of, no."