From:	Philippe Garneau <aaa302@*****.ULAVAL.CA>
Subject:	Shooting Blanks in the 2050's
Date:	Thu, 7 May 1998 23:54:30 -0400

Hello all,

Just to mention an bit of info that have been percolating in my weird mind
for a couple of days.

Researchers in fertility research (in the 1990s) are concerned on the
rapid diminution of sperm counts in Occidental men. According to the
scientific litterature, it's likely that this diminution can be caused by
exposition to diverse airborne/water pollutants. As high sperm counts are
primordial to the male fertility, a general decrease of that would result in
widespread fertility problems.

As the levels of pollution in Shadowrun's 2050s cities have augmented
(the Seattle sourcebook mentions Stage 4 smog alerts for many days a year,
especially in the Barrens, not to mention the vivid description of
Technoctitlan), it's probable that fertility issues have risen to an
alarming level. This could affect PC's lifes directly (if they try to
conceive children), or indirectly, as player's contacts mentions having
problems getting their families started. This would of course generate a
larger market for in-vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments,
that corps of all size would exploit. A GM can integrate the idea in
multiple ways, such as:

- silly "sperm raid" on a clinic for reselling in a poorer neighborhood;
- extractions of highly specialized genecologists from a corp to another;
- getting a mage (forcefully or not) to provide a sample of his semen for a
rich woman that absolutely wants a magically active baby (that the stuff
serves quite well as a ritual link sure is a nice complication);
- close protection of a foetus-bearing mother;
- all sorts of eugenic stuff (think Humanis policlub or see Gattaca for
specific ideas);
- etc. (add your own to the list and post it).

Have fun!
_____________________________________________________

Philippe Garneau
Bachelier en Sciences, Microbiologie

Godzilla lives again! -> Memorial Day, 1998