Mediation of Induced Abortion in Humans by Kin Selection Criteria By Alan Tate

Evolving the Thesis One person has to be responsible Should it be the mother or the father Why should it not the father Maybe it should be…?

Agenda 1.Abortion 2. “Natural” termination 3. Kin Selection and Altruism 4. Who decides?

Abortion by type STOP: Surgical Termination Of Pregnancy Electric vacuum aspiration Dilation and evacuation Intrauterine cranial decompression STOP: Surgical Termination Of Pregnancy Electric vacuum aspiration Dilation and evacuation Intrauterine cranial decompression Prescribed Drug Mifepristone Methotrexate Misoprostol Prescribed Drug Mifepristone Methotrexate Misoprostol Natural or accidental termination (miscarriage). < 6 th week 25% of pregnancies Natural or accidental termination (miscarriage). < 6 th week 25% of pregnancies Spontaneous Induced Chemical Induced Surgical

Abortion: The Clash of Absolutes “…abortion appears to pose an insoluble conflict between two fundamental values: the right of a fetus to live and the right of a woman to choose her own fate.”

Abortion: Response to deciding “Her own fate” Decision Impregnation Non-self Recombination Copulation Pregnancy's Providence

Abortion: Who Decides? Mother Trained educators –Retracts the freedom in fertility Nearest within relationship –Apt to care

“Natural” Termination What do we see in Nature?

“Natural” Termination ♀ Parental investment ♀ Incentive vs. ♂ Ability to spontaneously abort in lions

Kin Selection and Altruism Inclusive Fitness –Direct Fitness –Indirect Fitness Altruism –Actor is harmed –Recipient(s) benefits Kin Selection –Gain of indirect fitness by kin –Altruistic aptness ↑ w/ relatedness –Kin Recognition

Kin Selection and Altruism: Example Blue-footed Booby Sibling-sibling-parental interaction Food Shortage Siblings have a greater degree of relatedness* Siblicide * Intraclass correlation = rVa + θVd, by summation of the variance components

Kin Selection and Altruism: Example Application Siblicide Direct 3 Indirect 3 Inclusive 3 Actor Recipient Mothers Choice Direct 3 Indirect 3 Inclusive 3 Actor Recipient Mother 2 Offspring 3 In terms of Fitness

Kin Selection and Altruism: Application for Humans Genetically-mediated altruistic response of kin selection Human inability to consciously spontaneously abort young Maternal choice would not be the most altruistic for kin

Who Decides? Fertile female with the greatest degree of relatedness –The mothers daughter (If applicable) Fertile

Evolving the Thesis In this way, the security of nature’s most altruistic act toward the fitness of the unborn by kin selection criteria would be ensured in the mediation of regulatory propagation.

References Woodroffe, R., & Vincent, A. (1994). Mother’s little helpers: Patterns of male care in mammals. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 9, Trivers, R. L. (1972). Sexual selection and the Decent of Man (B. Champbell ed). Chicago: Aldine. Packer, C., & Pusey A. E. (1983). Adaptations of female lions to infanticide by incoming males. American Naturalist, 121(5), Hamilton, W. D. (1964). The genetical evolution of social behavior. I. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 7, Sherman, P. W. (1981). Kinship, demography, and Belding’s ground squirrel nepotism. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 8, Sundstrom, L., & Boomsma, J. J. (2001). Conflicts and alliances in insect families. Heredity, 86, Manning, C. J., Wakeland, E. K., & Potts, W. K. (1992). Communal nesting patters in mice implicate MHC genes in kin recognition. Nature, 360, Anderson, D. J., & Sherman, P. W. (1995). Evidence of kin-selection tolerance by nestling and a siblicidal bird. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 37, Lougheed, L. W., & Anderson, D. J. (1999). Parent blue-footed boobies suppress siblicidal behavior of offspring. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 45, Roe v. Wade (1973). 410 U.S Tribe, L. H. (1992). Abortion: The Clash of Absolutes. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Freeman, S., & Herron, J. C. (2004). Evolutionary Analysis. Upper Saddle River: Pearson & Prentice Hall.

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