John Stonestreet – Page 35

Invitro Heartbreak

Jan 17, 2022John StonestreetBioethicsBioethics, Invitro

Last week, The Wall Street Journal published the heartbreaking story of a 27-year-old man who died from a drug overdose back in 2020. Steven Gunner was conceived through the use of a sperm donor. He also struggled with schizophrenia.

After his death, his mom and adoptive dad reached out to other children who were also fathered by Steven’s donor, in order to let them know that their son’s mental illness may have been genetically inherited.

Their research confirmed that the sperm donor — known to them as just a number — had also suffered from schizophrenia, had also died by a drug overdose, and had not disclosed his mental health issues on health history forms – which American sperm clinics are not required to verify.

The Gunners’ research also revealed that Steven’s father has at least 18 other children.

It’s unknown whether they also inherited schizophrenia from the father, but the Gunners’ tragedy is yet another chapter in the larger story of assisted reproduction: when we rip apart God’s design for families, there is pain in every direction.

Hong Kong Parents Struggle for the Hearts and Minds of their Children

Jan 10, 2022John StonestreetChinaChina

Parents, educators, the church, and the state all play essential roles within a society, but when the state goes bad, it can take down every other sphere with it. For example, according to a recent article in The Economist, “A struggle is underway for the hearts and minds of Hong Kong’s children.”

In August, the city’s pro-democracy teacher’s union disbanded, following a government crackdown that had called it “a malignant tumor.” Since then, the curriculum now “educates” children solely on the virtues of the Chinese Communist Party. Speaking out against these changes could lead to life in prison.

As a result, some parents have stopped talking about politics at home, fearing their young children will say the wrong thing at school. Others continue to teach their kids democratic ideas, at risk of government retaliation to themselves or relatives. As a result, tens of thousands of residents are leaving the city altogether.

It’s good that parents are aware enough to be concerned. Unfortunately, too many parents here fail to take seriously the ideas that threaten the hearts and minds in our schools.

Apple Removes Bible and Qur’an from China

Jan 4, 2022John StonestreetChinaBig Tech, China

Two months ago, Apple quietly removed a Quran app and a Bible App from its app store in China at the request of the Chinese Communist Party. Apple claimed in a statement they had to do it because they have to, quote, “obey local laws.”

This is the same 2.8-trillion-dollar company with an “Inclusion and Diversity” initiative that claims, without a sense of irony, to hold a, quote, “long-standing commitment to making… the world more just.” According to its American website, that means hiring a more racially diverse group of employees. That’s great. It’s unclear how that helps the 1.4 billion people living under increasing religious oppression in China.

This is a good reminder. When companies like Apple throw around the word “inclusive,” it’s because they see a profit opportunity. When companies like Apple are happily complicit in outright oppression, it’s because they won’t risk a profit opportunity. If the day comes when American culture gives Apple an ultimatum: either nix the Bible here or lose your profit, we need only look to China to discover what they’d do.