Sexist Plague \ Goren Gordon

'Mr. and Mrs. Fine do come in.' A big false smile was smeared on Dr. Heartson's face as he welcomed his filthy rich clients. 'What can I do for you?' He escorted them to his leather sofa as he sat down behind his clean and tidy desk.

'We come to you because we want a child, doctor' Mr. Fine said sternly, as he stared at the respectable doctor.

'Well, you have certainly cam e to the right place, but first I must ask. Is there any medical problem I should be aware of?'

'My wife is a very fragile woman, doctor and she would not be able to withstand any operations. As I understand, all the procedures nowadays require some sort of invasive operations on the female. We must find an alternative.' The thoughtfulness and caring in his young eyes were so genuine, the doctor almost felt sympathy for the couple, but his mind was already planning what to do with the money they'll pay him.

'You are correct, Mr. Fine. Most of the IVF and special fertilization procedures do require sometimes painful maneuvers. However, and excuse me for asking, why haven't you tried the old fashioned way? Is there anything medically wrong with either of you? Have you done all the proper tests?' It was obvious to him that they have or else why did they come to him.

'No, we haven't' Mr. Fine surprised him. 'And nothing is wrong with us in that respect, doctor. The reason we came to you is…' 'We must have a son, doctor.' Mrs. Fine interrupted, speaking for the first time. She looked upset and her husband held her. 'Yes, we must have a son and the old fashioned way' Mrs. Fine blushed ever so slightly, 'guarantee only fifty-fifty change. My wife would not bear being pregnant again if it were a girl. We must have only one child and that one must be a boy!' Mr. Fine looked agitated and frustrated, making the doctor uneasy, too.

'I see' he said slowly. 'You know, though, that none of the conventional methods today guarantee only one male child. Those which have the best success in this are highly invasive.' The couple nodded, knowing the doctor has more to say. 'However, I have developed a new treatment just for your special problem. It is very expensive, though' he said trying to look nonchalant.

'Money is no object to us, doctor' Mr. Fine's words were like angle's song to the greedy doctor's ears. 'What is this treatment?'

'The medical aspects of it are quite complicated, of course,' he said in a condescending tone. 'However, the basic principle is that we inject a special and sophisticated virus to your husband testicles. It's a little painful, but fairly bearable. This virus infects all the sperms in him and turns them into male-producing sperm. Thus, after only two shots and a week to complete the process, you can make love the usual way and your child will always be male.' He was so pleased with himself, Mr. Fine found it horrible.

'Is it dangerous to my husband, doctor? Is it reversible?'

'No, it's not dangerous at all. It only affects the sperm cells and it is quite reversible. After a month or so, his sperm will return to normal. That is certain.' After years in this lucrative business, he has mastered the art of lying. This procedure was never tested in humans before, but it will be, now.

After completing the business transaction and making sure the doctor will never have to work again if he finds another couple like this one, the couple shook his hand and left the office, content to have what it came for.

Three weeks later, Mr. Fine cam alone to the clinic to get his first shot. He arrived in his Porsche and parked it in the parking zone of the medical center. As he advanced toward the clinic, he saw a mob of protestors, shouting and carrying banners:'No More Genetic Treatments', 'We Are Not God', 'Let God Do HIS Work', 'Punishment to God's Rivals', 'There is only one true God.' They were crying 'stop playing God's game, you'll lose' as he started to pass through them. He was anxious and annoyed at this spectacle, but his path was clear in his mind. He must have a son.

A young woman grabbed his hand, a second before he reached the door, and in a hoarse voice whispered to him, staring into his eyes. 'Humanity will suffer for your sins.' He shivered all over, but managed to break loose from her strong grasp and entered the clinic.

'I hope those barbarians didn't trouble you much out there, Mr. Fine' asked the calm doctor. 'They just want to reach the 6-o'clock news.'

'They seem very serious to me, doctor. How can you allow this to go on?'

'They give our clinic a lot of publicity. Most of the people don't agree with them, but they do hear a lot about us in the process. It's a kind of symbiosis. Without us, they don't have anything to protest against. Without them, we wouldn't have any business.' Dr. Heartson sounded so confident and logical, Mr. Fine relaxed a little. 'And talking of which, we have a lot to do today, my dear father-to-be.' He led the young man into a laboratory in the back of the clinic and began the treatment.

Four months later, happy and expecting a male baby, the Fines sat down to watch the 6-o'clock news.

'We are standing outside what was, until a few minutes ago, the "Heartson Medical Center"' said the reporter; while behind her firemen were trying to extinguish the blazing fire that encompassed the entire building. 'A few minutes ago, a large explosion was heard across the city as a large bomb detonated from within the highly controversial Heartson clinic. Two radical protestors were arrested shortly after as they were spotted fleeing the building in a hurry. As for now, two unidentified bodies were recovered from the fires. Witnesses say that Dr. Heartson himself and a laboratory assistant were the only people inside the building when it exploded. We have with us one of the greatest opposers to the clinic, Dr. Bradbury. Doctor, are you supporting this kind of protest?'

'Of course not' said the aging doctor, though a small twitch was observable on his face. 'Although Dr. Heartson's clinic practiced dangerous and illegal medicine, this kind of opposition is not what we aim for. Dr. Heartson must have been stopped from using unauthorized and horrific experiments on his clients, but this surely is not the way. Messing with something we do not understand will lead to our destruction, but violence will lead to anarchy. I'm truly appalled by this latest event.'

'Thank you, Dr. Bradbury. Tune in later to hear more on this terrible development.'

The Fines looked at each other in terror. Mr. Fine stared at his wife's belly and began to cry. 'What have we done?' His wife embraced him, frightened but in control. 'It's going to be alright. Everything will be alright.'

After three years, long after all of the late Dr. Heartson's work has been forgotten and after Jack Fine Jr. already spoke baby talk to his proud parents, the true implications of the heinous work of the dead doctor began to unveil.

First it had an unalarming tinge to it, as a troubled gynecologist observed that all his last patients were bearing sons. He reported it to his supervisor and a week later got e-mails from across the country that he was not the only one. Several months later, the department of health received the initial report.

'Please explain this graph to me, professor' the minister of health requested his professional advisor. 'What do these lines actually mean?'

'Well, minister, these lines implicate that the number of female babies born in the last years decreased in its normal positive value as this graph shows.'

'What does that mean? Are we living in ancient Egypt? Is Pharaoh ruling the country?'

'No, of course not, minister. Pharaoh killed all the sons, not the daughters, but the implications of this trend s quite serious. If this negative birth rate of females will continue, in two years no more females will be born.' The professor showed the extrapolation of the dreadful graph.

'What do you mean, "no new girls will be born?"' asked the slowly comprehending minister.

'In this rate, in two years, all the babies will be boys. No new females will appear in the human race and in another generation, our species will be extinct.'

'Don't be so melodramatic, professor. I've heard of your love for the exaggeration. When AIDS first made its appearance, you all cried –the end of the human race. Well, it's now contained and we are still here. Now, we first find its cause and deal with it. Study it more, professor. I'll give you the funds; you'll come up with the answers. Just stay relaxed. We will overcome this as we always do.'

Two years later, the hysteria began. The rumors were all over the globe as all the countries were affected by the horrible plague. Most of the countries already had only new male babies while some others had only a handful of girl babies. The UN has called for a general assembly meeting to discuss the future alternatives. The main speaker was Prof. Hopfield, an expert on fertility.

'Grand assembly. I am standing here as the prophet of the apocalypse. I'm the bearer of bad news, but also of hope. First we'll begin with the facts, to eliminate all superstitious and false rumors. This is not the act of god or any divine entity. We now know this plague that came upon us is in the form of a virus. We have not yet isolated it so we know not its structure, but we are certain it is a virus. However, the unfortunate news is that this virus is probably airborne.' A murmur began in the international crowd as the full implications of the data began to sink in 'The pattern of distribution and dynamics of the plague lead us to the conclusion that it is airborne. No other way could explain its fast spread across the globe. As for now, these are the only known facts. We have taken first measure to secure the fate of our race, by freezing huge amounts of eggs and sperms from all races and from many countries. This project will ensure our survival. In the meantime, an extensive research program has begun to find a cure for this elusive virus. Since it does not cross species, experiments are hard to do, but various ways are suggested to overcome this obstacle. Ladies and gentlemen of the world: We will find a cure for this plague and the human species will survive. Thank you.'

Thirty years have passed and still no cure has been found. The youngest female alive turned twenty-five and with her all the hope slowly disappeared. The entire reserves of all the countries were directed toward finding the cure. All other researches were stopped and all other matters seemed pointless. Since men became the majority of the population, all interest in life vaporized. Wars sprung out all over the globe, but stopped as quickly as they began. No motive for action, other than finding the cure, was present as men became lonely. Society as a whole diminished and anarchy began to show its ugly face. Cults of doom grew and were the only appealing thing in the world's most miserable future. Women began to display as freaks, and most were subjected to horrendous experiment since they alone held the solution to humanity's problems. They could not protest since they were so few. Some groups tried to speak for them. 'We must remain humane and stop this dreadful acts', but they were quickly silenced. 'Without these dreadful acts, humans will no longer exist.'

Desperation ruled for another fifteen years, but then, out of the blue, by a mistake, as it always happens, a cure was found. A group of scientists have found the virus and deciphered its workings. Using the knowledge they constructed an antidote that would counteract the virus's doings. Hope sprung from man to man as the news of a cure spread. Talks about using the huge banks of frozen eggs and sperms to revive the human race began, but an old professor looked around him and said quietly, as tears run from his eyes. 'Look around you. We have the cure, we have the men, but there is no fertile woman around.'

As quickly as it began, hope dissolved and with it the human race.