LET MOTHER NATURE SELECT

In the early 1980s when I took my Eurasian boyfriend home to meet my parents and grandparents, they were civil to him.

Over the months when he was courting me, my family made it known that he was not a suitable life partner as he was from a different race. My maternal grandmother was especially worried, as she was afraid that her potential great-grandchild would not be fair like her, a Chinese. After seven years of courtship, we managed to change the views of our families and we married.

When my grandmother found out that I was pregnant, she took on the task of feeding me with soya bean milk, white nuts, tofu and anything white to ensure that her first great-grandchild was fair.

When my child was born, the first thought that came to mind for my husband and I was: “Is this our child?” He had neither the colour of his mother who is a Chinese, nor that of his father who is a Eurasian. He looked like a fair European. A check with my husband ’s family tree revealed that he has Dutch, Portuguese, Indian and French blood.

Perhaps, that was the reason why my son ’s skin colour was like that of a European. Needless to say, my grandmother was thrilled that her scheme to produce a fair great-grandson worked.

My four subsequent children were each born with a different skin colour.

With the impending arrival of our sixth child, a boy, in August, we ’ve even made a joke: Would he be fair, dark or striped like a zebra?

What would my grandmother do if she were alive, since we have the technology to test the genetic makeup of an embryo before it is implanted in the womb?

With pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, parents now have the potential and opportunity to select not only the child’s sex, but also the colour of the child ’s eyes, skin and even hair.

Would we be pressured to produce a particular type of child that fits the genetic makeup of a particular race?

This problem is not that obvious if the parents are of the same race, but would be potentially explosive if they are from different races.

I think that genetic testing should not focus on non-essential aspects of a human being such as gender and skin colour, although some would argue that it makes a world of difference whether you are a male or a female.

Gender and race issues are best handled by changing people ’s perceptions.

For example, my family now has accepted all my children as part of their family and treats all of them with love and respect irrespective of their complexion.

We can draw an important lesson from the genetics experience of the 1960s, when cross breeding of the rice plant had produced the Miracle Rice to maximize production.

Farmers were motivated to plant large tracts of the same rice plant. One result of this was that pests and diseases wiped out an entire crop much faster, because the plants were genetically similar.

Scientists recognise the need to promote biodiversity, which enriches our lives. As the only species on this planet with the knowledge and ability to explore genetic makeups, we have the responsibility to treat biodiversity with the respect that it deserves.
Let Mother Nature make her selection with regards to the genetic makeup of a human, and she will ensure the survival of the species

This article first appeared in TODAY on 1st June 2005.