And it's not potty!
"Consumer tests for sports genes raises debate; Aimed at those seeking an edge May 22, 2011|By Rob Stein, Washington Post
WASHINGTON — In an era of helicopter parents eager to exploit every competitive edge for their kids, at least two companies have begun selling tests that claim to help match youngsters with the sports they are genetically programmed to play best.
Can't they be a kid first? Can't they be allowed to make their own choices?
The DNA scans, the first of an expected wave of attempts to use genes to enhance athletic performance, can steer children toward games they are most likely to win — and perhaps get scholarships to play, the companies say.
I really feel sorry for kids today. They don't even have a chance to be one anymore.
The tests also let children — and adults — tailor workouts to their innate skills, the firms say, as well as spot those prone to life-threatening heart problems, concussions, and other injuries.
Ever notice the fascism is always proposed as being good for the kids?
I was wondering how sending them off to faraway lands to kill people who never did anything to us threatens their lives.
Hello?
“The main purpose of the test is to maximize performance in the minimum amount of time and minimize risk,’’ said Bill Miller, chief executive of American International Biotechnology Services, which began selling the testing two weeks ago.
We HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT now and it is CALLED STEROIDS!!
Is this what all that tax loot and venture capital went for?
Critics, however, see the kits as the latest in a flood of questionable genetic tests entrepreneurs are hawking. No one can yet accurately gauge the influence of genes on athletic abilities or vulnerabilities, they say.
The results may be needlessly alarming or falsely reassuring, they say. Skeptics also fear the trend will encourage overzealous parents and coaches to push kids into sports they dislike or discourage them from physical activities they enjoy — and might succeed at — despite their genes.
“This is really disturbing,’’ said Lainie Friedman Ross, a pediatrician and bioethicist at the University of Chicago. “Sports and physical activity should be fun for kids. It shouldn’t be, ‘You’re going to be the world’s greatest athlete’ or ‘Give up now, kid, because you won’t have a chance’ because of your genes.’’
Not anymore, not in AmeriKa.
The growing availability of mail-order and Internet DNA scans has spurred excitement about finding genetic clues about ancestry, health, and proclivities. But the testing has also raised alarm because genetic data can be misleading, misinterpreted, and misunderstood, as well as leave consumers vulnerable to discrimination by employers and insurers.
Or to someone just plain stealing it.
The Food and Drug Administration has stepped in, leading one company to abandon plans to sell a genetic screen at Walgreens stores, causing others to discontinue offering tests directly to consumers, and some to work with the agency to validate their methodology....
Oh, yeah, the FDA is going to protect us.
That would be funny if it were not so sad.
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Time for me to tie the kid's right arm behind his back because baseball teams can always use a lefty pitcher.
Stop yer whinin'!!!
