Friday, March 27, 2009

XYY controversy

                In the 1960s, scientists found some males with an extra Y chromosome in their genes.   A research study found that these special males are prone to be violent.  There was an article published in 1961 that told the public that scientists had found the first XYY male.  In 1968 when a XYY male would find himself in trouble and had to stand before the court, his lawyer blamed his actions on his condition. Stanley Walzer and Park Gerald screened all newborn males for the XYY chromosome. This enraged some groups such as Science for the People, that was lead by Jonathon Beckwith and Jonathon King. In 1974, they claimed the research seriously stigmatized infants that actually have an XYY chromosome. Walzer and Gerald were forced to end their research, due to informed consent reasons and no useful purpose or scientific conclusions for the research. 

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17 comments:

  1. Taylor :)March 30, 2009 at 9:42 AM

    Did the XYY males have any health problems later in life from having an extra Y chromosome?

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  2. bAdMiNtOn~~BABE247March 30, 2009 at 9:44 AM

    I don't think so...nothing the scientists could prove.

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  3. christina!March 30, 2009 at 9:55 AM

    I think that Walzer and Gerald should have been forced to stop the testing because it says that they XYY men were more prone, it would not necessarily always be true. On the other hand, it might be a good thing to know about the chromosomes because it could help stop some violence before it occurs.

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  4. SoCcEr~cHiCkk000March 30, 2009 at 9:57 AM

    If the parents of a child or a male himself gave informed consent to be tested for the XYY chromosome, then Walzer and Gerald should have been allowed to continue their research. Do they know if the infants were stigmatized from the research or if it was actually their extra Y chromosome that was causing problems?

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  5. brooke bMarch 30, 2009 at 9:58 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. brooke bMarch 30, 2009 at 10:01 AM

    How were the men treated differently?

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  7. Razzle DazzleMarch 31, 2009 at 9:33 AM

    I believe it was right for them to be stopped if there is no reason to perform the tests.

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  8. bAdMiNtOn~~BABE247March 31, 2009 at 9:35 AM

    ANSWER TO SJA32052: One way was... an erroneous report was published saying that a male serial killer was an XYY type.

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  9. bAdMiNtOn~~BABE247March 31, 2009 at 9:37 AM

    ANSWER TO SOCCERCHICK: No, they could not clinically prove of their violence. In reality the extra Y was not changing anything.

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  10. LC_shizzleMarch 31, 2009 at 9:37 AM

    I don't think it's right to test babies without their parents consent. But, it may have been nice to know that your baby had XXY.

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  11. elizabethhMarch 31, 2009 at 9:43 AM

    I agree with SoCcEr~cHiCkk000. And if the parent wanted their child to be a part in the research, they should be able to continue. This research could be helpful to determine the effects of the extra Y chromosomes. They could try to decide if every man with the extra Y chromosome is violent, or if it has any other affects.

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  12. Abby!April 2, 2009 at 9:00 AM

    I think that researching infants always has some debate on whether or not it is ethical. I believe that the parents of the children should have to give their consent, and that they should totally understand the tests before handing over their children. Even so, this was an important experiment that can bring us closer to understanding more about people and the way their minds work.

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  13. SophiaApril 2, 2009 at 9:03 AM

    I don't know if I would have told the person that they had an extra Y. I mean, what if the person decided that they could do something violet and get away with it because of their DNA structure? Also, were the people given special handicaps for their "disability"?

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  14. Think BIGApril 2, 2009 at 10:40 AM

    If they weren't informed that they had an extra Y then it'd sort of be like violating their rights because I believe that people should be noted of their condition.

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  15. JordanClaire:)April 2, 2009 at 3:14 PM

    I agree with Phineas keeping medical information away from people isn't very ethical, especially when it has to do with their own health. But Overly Ambitious Researchers has a good point when she says that they could use the diagnosis in a negative way.

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  16. Lil RayRayApril 2, 2009 at 5:19 PM

    I agree with Overly Ambitious Researchers as well. But if the parents want their chilren to be tested, which i think is slightly radical considering their low age, then they should've been able to continue their testing.

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  17. SophiaApril 2, 2009 at 5:59 PM

    I was curious to who the first case was found in, so I Googled it. On Wikepedia, it said that the first man was a 44 year old who had been singled out because his daughter had Down Syndrome. It happened in Buffalo, NY.

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