In Reply to: What did Dr. Laura really say? posted by Student on October 04, 2006 at 19:44:09:
"If you're gay or a lesbian, it's a biological error that inhibits you from relating normally to the opposite sex."
Dr. Laura is making the "natural law" argument about homosexuality. Evolutionary biologists are quick to take issue with this argument. Natural law arguments are logical and consistent with Biblical principles, but they are not always well grounded in science. The term "biological error" suggests a dysfunctional adapation or variation within a population
Within the framework of evolutionary biology, homosexuality may not be an biological error at all. When it comes to survival of the species, homosexual behavior may very well be an adaptation that facilitates population control, which is necessary for species survival. If, for example, 10% of the male population fail to produce offspring because they are not attracted to women, yet contribute to the overall support and success of human life by limiting the number of offspring produced, then we could argue homosexual orientation is a successful adaptation (or variation) within the larger population and by no means a biological error.
If I am born with six fingers, that would definitely be viewed as a biological error. Yet it would be viewed as an evolutionary adaptation if future generations of six-fingered humans become the "norm" or most frequent and dominant form of our species. Six fingers may appear to have no adaptive function to "normals" at this point in time, but it could prove to be a trait that ensures survival of a species that are slowly evolving into the pets and caretakers of intelligent machines. Just imagine how much more we could get done on an computer keyboard if we had 12 fingers instead of 10!