Opening Pandora's Box - Vaginoplasty, Pubic Hair Removal, Earth Rape, Drugs & Genetic Experimentation

Pandora (1896) painting by John William Waterhouse

Opening Pandora's box means performing an action that seems small or innocent, but turns out to have extremely negative and far-reaching consequences. These sorts of actions also may be considered breakthroughs or moral imperatives for society (e.g. embryo engineering). Bearing this in mind, there may be a connection between these human trends:-

(1) The complete removal of pubic hair (reminds me of prepubescence and thus feels weird in an adult context), and now vaginoplasty. Vaginoplasty is removing the inner labia of the female genitalia for supposedly aesthetic reasons despite loss of sexual sensitivity (e.g. see here) and risk of chronic pain (Orgasm Inc documentary). Also see here, here.

(2) The 'civilisation' of Earth by stripping away forests, and now severe Earth rape. Severe Earth rape is leading to multiple species extinction, climate change, etc.

(3) The widespread use of drugs to manipulate the body - although nutrition, CAM [Complementary and Alternative Medicine], sleep, exercise, is more appropriate for something like 80% of health issues) - and now genetically modified foods, monocultures and tweaking genes in gene therapy, with irreversible effects on our food chain and the danger of genetic disaster.

In all three cases, both practices are rarely the answer, despite widespread, fashionable use. However, the first part is reversible, but the second is not.

"Labia minora are a very important part of erotic tissue. Everybody is different [their labia are different, e.g. asymmetrical, long]... It's all normal. Any form of cosmetic surgery to the external female genitalia is a form of genital mutilation. I can't think of any rational reason for it. One of the main reasons not to do it, is that women can end up with chronic pain symptoms. And we shouldn't be allowing it."
(Susan Bennett, MD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, interviewed in Orgasm Inc documentary, ±53m)

One question around genetic modification has been whether there is any point at all. Some argue that screening for genetic diseases as part of IVF would be a better method of preventing disorders being passed down through the generations. Prof Peter Braude, from King's College London, said: "When you look at the eggs or the sperm there is always a very high proportion of those naturally that don't carry the disease. One does not manipulate the genes in any way, simply decide which of the embryos can be implanted into the woman safely in the knowledge they will not carry on that genetic disorder." Dr Perry [cloning pioneer] counters: "But then people might have qualms as you've got to generate human embryos you know you are going to destroy as they will carry the mutation." However, he does acknowledge there is an element of a Pandora's box about the field including genetic engineering for non-medical purposes. "We have to grow up, we have to say, 'Look we have something potentially enabling, but it can be potentially misused, should we just cower in the corner?'" He said it was possible for society to accept the technology for medical purposes, but draw the line at "a population of Lara Crofts and Jason Bournes". (BBC, posted and accessed 13/5/2015)

Opening Pandora's Box?