At present, two routes exist for 'choosing': aborting the 'wrong' foetus, or using IVF and choosing the 'right' egg.
I can't see any non-medical reason as a good one for choosing the sex of a child, and I don't think people should have the right to do so, either.
First, the illusion of control issue has more ramifications for society and for the individual than we might at first guess. What presuppositions do we give to our children if we have a culture which tells a child that if it had turned out to have the 'wrong' genes it would have been terminated in the womb? How can we assure children that they are of equal and real value as individuals if society accepts a pre-judgement of them as only worthy of life if they are of the 'right' sex? In other words, that the most important thing about a child is its sex, and that all the rest if that child's potential is worthless if it hasn't got the 'right' plumbing and hormones? Such a choice is inherently degrading to humankind.
Secondly, the 'right' would be used to reinforce cultural prejudices against one sex or another - and overwhelmingly this is a bias against females. Regardless of which sex would be the object of discimination in a 'choice'-based culture, in a civilised society, using technology to reinforce sex-based and gender-based bias is, I think, wrong.
But I'm a bit old-fashioned about this: I believe we are all of value in the eyes of God, and that whilst sex is an aspect of our lives, it can be and often should be subsumed by other aspects of life. There are great poets, writers, ministers, doctors, nurses, musicians, gardeners, loo-cleaners, whatever, of both sexes, and everyone's talent and potential is worthy of more respect than the mere fact of their biological sex.
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chiming
sex selection
Date: November 14th, 2003 08:21 am (UTC)From:I can't see any non-medical reason as a good one for choosing the sex of a child, and I don't think people should have the right to do so, either.
First, the illusion of control issue has more ramifications for society and for the individual than we might at first guess. What presuppositions do we give to our children if we have a culture which tells a child that if it had turned out to have the 'wrong' genes it would have been terminated in the womb? How can we assure children that they are of equal and real value as individuals if society accepts a pre-judgement of them as only worthy of life if they are of the 'right' sex? In other words, that the most important thing about a child is its sex, and that all the rest if that child's potential is worthless if it hasn't got the 'right' plumbing and hormones? Such a choice is inherently degrading to humankind.
Secondly, the 'right' would be used to reinforce cultural prejudices against one sex or another - and overwhelmingly this is a bias against females. Regardless of which sex would be the object of discimination in a 'choice'-based culture, in a civilised society, using technology to reinforce sex-based and gender-based bias is, I think, wrong.
But I'm a bit old-fashioned about this: I believe we are all of value in the eyes of God, and that whilst sex is an aspect of our lives, it can be and often should be subsumed by other aspects of life. There are great poets, writers, ministers, doctors, nurses, musicians, gardeners, loo-cleaners, whatever, of both sexes, and everyone's talent and potential is worthy of more respect than the mere fact of their biological sex.