Born That Way
While watching the latest salvos in the gay marriage war, I heard the "born that way" argument offered up again. The argument goes that homosexual people were born that way, that their attraction to the same sex is the result of genetics. Since it is not under their conscious control, therefore we should extend all the same social benefits enjoyed by heterosexuals to them. When the "sanctity of marriage" argument is raised, they respond by pointing out that heterosexuals do not always marry in order to reproduce (some by choice, some due to medical conditions that prevent reproduction), and that many heterosexuals have far from ideal marriages. When that argument is countered, the next argument offered is generally the compassion argument: we shouldn't deny homosexuals what they really want, because that would not be compassionate.
These arguments have convinced me. In fact, I now believe that we should not shut out anyone whose genetic makeup prevents them from participating in existing social structures. This has some implications for our society that we should address quickly. Here are some examples.
Aggressive Behavior
Some evidence has been found suggesting that certain mutations may increase levels of aggression. People suffering from these mutations are more likely to commit a violent crime and therefore go to prison. This isn't right, since they were born that way. We should immediately release from prison anyone whose genetic makeup includes such mutations, and rewrite the penal code so that they are judged innocent immediately if arrested for a violent crime. "Wait!" you may say. "We don't want violent people running around loose!" Well, people without these mutations also commit violent crimes and go to prison, so society is already messed up. Besides, do you really want to deny these people their inner wish, to commit acts of violence? That wouldn't be compassionate! Let's be tolerant of mutants.
Bad Driving
A certain gene variant has been found to affect driving behavior. Those with this variant perform markedly worse on driving tests. When given instruction to help them drive better, they retain the information for a much shorter period than those without this gene variant. It is not difficult to conclude that the people with this gene variant are most likely involved in more accidents and receive more tickets, on average, than those without the gene variant. This is wrong. These people were born that way. We should immediately dismiss all outstanding tickets and lawsuits against such people, and make them immune from being charged further with traffic code violations. "Wait!" you may way. "We don't want bad drivers on our roads!" Well, people without this gene variation also drive badly and get tickets, so you already have to drive defensively. Besides, don't you want to be compassionate? Letting these people drive without penalty would be the compassionate way to deal with them, wouldn't it?
Addiction
Our genetic makeup has been shown to affect our propensity for addiction to illegal drugs. People with genes that fuel addiction are most likely locked up more often for behaviors stemming from addiction than those who do not. This is wrong. They were born that way. We should immediately release from prison all who have addiction-promoting genetic makeups. "Wait!" you may say. "We don't want drug addicts wandering around loose!" Well, people without such genetic makeups also develop addictions, so what's your point? Besides, letting these people ingest as much drugs and alcohol as they wish would be the compassionate thing to do, wouldn't it?
Conclusion
The time for action is now! I call on all who are advocating for the rights of homosexual people to marry to also advocate for preferential treatment for people who exhibit genetically induced aggression, bad driving, and addiction. (I was going to mention necrophiliacs, too, but decided not to in the interests of keeping this page G rated. If you don't know what that word means, you probably do not want to look it up.)