The Human Alliance

From Gothpoodle

The Human Alliance was founded in 2049 by Carl Edward Stokes, a prominent American bioethicist. At the time, Stokes was the most articulate spokesman in the United States for the philosophy that would later be known as Preservationism. He called attention to the limits of biotechnology, and pointed out “the essential callousness of those who would manipulate the foundations of life.”

At first the Alliance was simply one advocacy group among many, but within a few years Stokes had forged a partnership with several American religious groups. He himself was an agnostic, but he found that many Christian and Muslim organizations shared his mistrust of radical genetic engineering. With their help, he was able to raise large amounts of money and buy a great deal of media access. By 2060, the Human Alliance was one of the largest and most powerful advocacy groups in the United States, and was rapidly making headway in Europe and Latin America as well.

As of 2100, the Alliance remains an influential pressure group. It is one of the primary supports of the Democratic Party in the United States, and often plays a part in European national and Union elections. For the most part, it works within the legitimate political system in pursuit of its goals. It has also been known to sponsor mass demonstrations, and there have been occasional (unproven) allegations of violent sabotage.

Alliance critics claim that it is a racist organization, advocating the position that “to be human you have to look human.” In truth the Alliance’s position is much more subtle, focusing on the intangible costs of advanced biotechnology. Alliance leaders publicly doubt that bioengineers are wise enough to redesign the “natural” human form, and they claim that many “improvements” are actually detrimental to their recipients. The Alliance argues against any genetic or biotechnic innovation that doesn’t have proven therapeutic value.