This one's for Goofball...

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Parenthood is about nothing more than finding genetic donors. I believe we should stop all this adoption foolishness at once, as regardless of who actually cares for you, that drunken frat boy in the back seat of a car will always be your father....

We were talking about biological parents, were we not? In which case, yes, that drunken fratboy will always be your father. That may have been an incorrect assumption on my part. I simply wanted to assert that this sperm donor fellow would not be a biological parent of the child he helped to create.

[Don Corleone]

Well, you make a good point, said drunken frat boy will always be your biological father, regardless of whether he ever has anything to do with you again or not. You've got a good point there, I got sloppy.

I still am going to have to agree to disagree with you on the defintion of biological parent though. I think 'required participant for reproduction of species' makes a better one than 'genetic donor'. Beyond the example of viruses, what about other things that alter your DNA in ways seen in neither your biological mother or fath.. (oops, I'm stinkin homophobe, sorry), seen in neither Parent A or Parent B. Would a microwave become your third parent? A particularly nasty form of cancer? They're all contributing to your genetic material in unique ways...

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Well, I suppose you would say that the virus/cancer only altered the genetic material, rather than contributing it. That is rather weak, however.

As an aside, if two women did manage to have a baby in the way we're discussing, I think Mother and Mother sounds much better than Parent A and Parent B.

[Byzantine Prince]

WOW, Don, talk about not making any sense.

We are made out of the genetic material of two people, how the genetic material was formed is completely irrelevent. What part of that is unclear?

[Don Corleone]

WOW, Don, talk about not making any sense.

We are made out of the genetic material of two people, how the genetic material was formed is completely irrelevent. What part of that is unclear?

Well, wait a minute here... actually, this isn't true either. If we adopt your defintion, clones will never be human. And as I pointed out, the two biological parents are not the sole contributors of unique genetic material.

Aside from which, BP, I dare you to kiss 'Parent A' goodnight tonight and refer to her as such.

[Don Corleone]

You stinkin homophobe you!!!

Seriously, as Ser Clegnane had to say earlier, this is a story much much more about the American need to drive an issue well beyond the bounds of any reason than it does with any particular sub-group in American society. It is a shame though, because we wind up letting the lunatics run the asylum, and the most extreme, most outrageous, most bizarre view on one side or the other wind up being the two camps we're allowed to choose from.