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NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee Member
Publishes Analysis Of Maternal Immune Attack Theory

May 7, 2007 - Neil Whitehead, Ph.D., author of My Genes Made Me Do It, has been published in the Journal of Biosocial Science.

Whitehead's topic is "An Anti-Boy Antibody? Re-Examination Of The Maternal Immune Hypothesis." The Abstract of his paper is published on PubMed. It is reprinted below:

J Biosoc Sci. 2007 Feb 22;:1-17 [Epub ahead of print] Links
AN ANTIBOY ANTIBODY? RE-EXAMINATION OF THE MATERNAL IMMUNE HYPOTHESIS.

* Whitehead NE.

Abstract
The maternal immune hypothesis (MIH) argues same sex attraction (SSA) results from maternal immune attack on fetal male-specific brain structures and involves the previous biological influence of elder brothers. One of the surveys supporting this is shown to be based on an unsuitable sample and to contain some strong contrary evidence. The hypothesis relies on at least four speculative ideas and there is evidence against each.

(1) Likely immune response prevalence is too low compared with calculated SSA prevalence resulting from the fraternal birth order effect.

(2) Testis immune attack would be more likely than brain attack but is not known.

(3) Fetal brain structures are practically indistinguishable at birth and subsequent brain anatomical gender differentiation only occurs after birth when no attack is occurring.

(4) The hypothesis also predicts unfavorable biology for late birth-order males but in fact the reverse is generally true, and neurological effects are very minor. Studies show aborted fetuses caused by likely maternal immune attack are predominantly girls rather than boys, which also argues against the theory. Studies on identical twins show that common factors such as uterine environment are only a small influence on SSA and post-natal idiosyncratic reactions and non-shared environmental factors are much larger influences.

PMID: 17316469 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Additional Reading: Do Mothers Create Gay Sons In The Womb?; The Importance of Twin Studies; Born Gay: The Psychobiology Of Sex Orientation; 'Gay' Ram Claims Questioned By NARTH Leader; New Zealand School Of Medicine Studies Mental Health Problems In Young Gays.