Should We Stop Eating Foods with Unique DNA Fingerprints?

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DavidSnider
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I was just reading some story about how Kathy Ireland is opposed to abortion because at the moment of conception they have a 'DNA Fingerprint'. Abortion issue aside, it got me to wonder:

If I sequenced my mother and father's DNA and generated all the 2^23 permutations of chromosomes would my genome, my siblings and all my potential siblings be in there? (Assuming no mutations or naughty milkmen).
 
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Ygggdrasil said:
Food for thought: cancer cells in your body would also have a unique DNA fingerprint.
As does your mitochondria.
 
alxm said:
I'm no so sure.. mine looks a lot like my mom's.

Doh - sorry I was thinking of having different DNA in you, not the original question.
 
DavidSnider said:
..is opposed to abortion because at the moment of conception they have a [unique] 'DNA Fingerprint'.
Ygggdrasil said:
During the generation of gamete cells, there can be recombination
So her argument is that every individual sperm cell has a human right to be nurtured through to adulthood, but not each identical twin?
 
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Every living organism has a "DNA fingerprint." Does that mean I shouldn't eat my carrots either, because they each have a unique DNA fingerprint?
 
Moonbear said:
Every living organism has a "DNA fingerprint." Does that mean I shouldn't eat my carrots either, because they each have a unique DNA fingerprint?

I'm not sure I fully understand the question, but if you're asking whether if it's unsafe to eat carrots due to their unique DNA fingerprint, you have to keep in mind that there are unique DNA fingerprints in a lot of things you eat. If not, then every piece of food you eat. Meats, vegetables, nuts, fruits and everything in between all have their own genetic material in their cells.
 
Zen2 said:
I'm not sure I fully understand the question, but if you're asking whether if it's unsafe to eat carrots due to their unique DNA fingerprint, you have to keep in mind that there are unique DNA fingerprints in a lot of things you eat. If not, then every piece of food you eat. Meats, vegetables, nuts, fruits and everything in between all have their own genetic material in their cells.

I was being sarcastic. Kathy Ireland's rationale was that having a unique DNA fingerprint meant that a "life" should be preserved (i.e., no abortion), so by that same logic, one should avoid all foods that need to be killed to consume them, since they all contain a unique DNA fingerprint (maybe the GM corn is okay, since they aren't so unique). I was just using sarcasm to point out the flaws in the argument.