Momentous Gender Selection

Conceiving a baby can be easy for some couples and difficult for others. In fact, some couples can do so naturally and others may need some professional help or even to the point where adoption is the only possibility available. When given the option of professional help, we need to look at the big picture and think about the moral, immoral and ethical part of this delicate subject. However, while it may be difficult for some couples to conceive a baby, there are many methods that can possibly work and that’s when ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) becomes a great part of it. As far as the moral and ethical part, some people would disagree to this new technology such as IVF (in vitro fertilization), surrogacy, egg transfer,

The desire for sons and the infanticides of girls lead to another problem. Today the imbalance between men and women is already very high, and will even get higher in the future. For example, in the Guangxi province 19 out of 24 births were boys (2001). Because of this imbalance men will have a hard time finding a Chinese woman in the next couple of years.

Picture a young couple in a waiting room looking through a catalogue together. This catalogue is a little different from what you might expect. In this catalogue, specific traits for babies are being sold to couples to help them create the "perfect baby." This may seem like a bizarre scenario, but it may not be too far off in the future. Designing babies using genetic enhancement is an issue that is gaining more and more attention in the news. This controversial issue, once thought to be only possible in the realm of science-fiction, is causing people to discuss the moral issues surrounding genetic enhancement and germ line engineering. Though genetic research can prove beneficial to learning how to prevent hereditary

There are people around the world trying to have children right now, that cannot and need to use services like reproductive technology to even have the chance of a little one in their future. NRTs are one thing that can help, and it is moving forward with the advancements in technology and science. With this huge advancement in technology and science, many people are starting to question if these procedures are ethical. There are four principles of ethics. These principles are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Applying these principles of ethics to new reproductive technologies can

Medical professionals today can screen for certain genetic traits (genetic diseases and sex) with in vitro fertilization and preimplantation genetic diagnosis to obtain a healthy child, and reproductive technology continues to improve. With this in mind, the question arises whether sex selection is ethical. Julian Savulescu, Uehiro Professor of Practical Ethics at Oxford University, argues that sex selection is moral, based on his ethical principle of Procreative Beneficence: that “couples (or single reproducers) should select the child, of the possible children they could have, who is expected to have the best life, or at least as good a life as the others, based on the relevant, available information” [Savulescu 1]. Savulescu claims

The WHO states that there are three core motivations for engaging in sex determination and sex selection which include “medical reasons such as preventing the birth of children affected or at risk of X-linked disorders; family balancing reasons where couples choose to have a child of one sex because they already have one or more children of the other sex; and gender preference reason often in favor of male offspring stemming from cultural, social, and economic bias in favor of male children and as a result of policies requiring couples to limit reproduction to one child, as in China.” In countries such as India and China, it is apparent that women can be harmed by sex selection

As reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization and preimplantation genetic diagnosis continues to develop, the advancement of gene editing raises the possibility of designer babies in the near future. Defined as a baby whose genome has been preselected in order to ensure that certain genes are or are not present, designer babies are not yet practical with current technology, but preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) does make it possible for parents to choose the gender of their unborn child or select embryos that are least likely to develop genetic disorders. While most experts and the public are in agreement that using reproductive technology to eradicate disorders like Tay-Sachs disease and sickle cell anemia is ethical and in the best interest of the child, genetic engineering for the purpose of

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done” said American science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein. Heinlein was correct in his observation. Throughout the course of history, the gender of a child has always been a surprise and an uncontrollable part of life. Often it is regarded as a component of natural selection. Yet, scientific technologies have “made the impossible possible.” Advancement in In-vitro fertilization and uses of preimplantation genetic diagnosis have allowed people to have the power to make many genetic alterations to their future child, including gender selection. However, this scientific discovery brought about a controversial movement for reproductive freedom and draws out ethical concerns about what it

New technological advances and scientific methods continue to change the course of nature. One of the current controversial advances in science and technology is the use of genetically modified embryos in which the study exceeds stem cell research. Scientists have begun planning for research involving human embryos in the genetic modification field. Many technological developments are responsible for improving our living standards and even saving lives, but often such accomplishments have troubling cultural and moral ramifications (Reagan, 2015). We are already beyond the days in which virtually the only procreative option was for a man and a woman to conceive the old-fashioned way (Reagan, 2015). Genetic modification of human embryos can be perceived as a positive evolution in the medical process yet it is surrounded by controversy due to ethical processes. Because this form of genetic modification could affect later born children and their offspring, the protection of human subjects should be a priority in decisions about whether to proceed with such research (Dresser, 2004). The term Human Genetic Engineering was originally made public in 1970. During this time there were several methods biologists began to devise in order to better identify or isolate clone genes for manipulation in several species or mutating them in humans.

The principles of ethics can assist in finding a middle ground on reproductive technologies by forcing the healthcare provider to consider first the patient and their well-being above all else, yet keeping in consideration the benefits and morality of the care they are giving. More often than not, there are more than two sides to every argument, especially when it comes to the latest reproductive technologies. “To obtain justifiable resolutions of these

In modern East Asia, a large part of the pattern of preferences leading to this practice can be condensed simply as a desire to have a male heir. Monica Das Gupta (2005) observes that, in late 1980s to early 1990s China, there was no evidence of selective abortion of female fetuses among firstborn children, or in families with one or more existing sons (in fact, families with multiple sons were, if anything, more likely to abort a boy than a girl). But, at the same time, families with existing daughters appeared very likely to abort any further female fetuses, resulting in heavily skewed sex ratios.[11]

In the Western world, couples who wish to undergo the MicroSort or PGD procedure have primarily done so to balance out the gender distribution in their families. Furthermore, due to federal governments banning the practice, as well as the low number of doctors offering it and the high cost of each trial, sex-selection does not appear like it will become a widespread phenomenon anytime soon. It seems that the major problem with this procedure is the effect it could have in the Eastern world (which would in turn, cause issues worldwide). With most Eastern cultures heavily valuing the male over the female, sex-selection would just encourage cultures to follow the gender stereotypes they were raised to believe. After reviewing the literature on sex-selection, I still believe that sex-selection takes away from the complete experience of having a child. By implementing sex-selection, we are taking away the mystery and magic that should be associated with the experience. As parents, it should be their obligation to love their child no matter what it may look like and what it does and does not have. Sex-selection just goes to show how much value in society is placed on physical characteristics, such as gender. Whether male or female, we are all still human and we deserve to be valued as

In these last few years ART procedures (assisted reproductive technology) have increased. In 1996, 71% of the ART procedures done were an IVF (in vitro fertilization). In 2009, 70.1% of the IVF procedures were done using a fresh non-donor.

The process of gender preselection poses a high risk to society, particularly by leading to a gender bias. In a 2011 survey, 60% of surveyed couples with a gender preference prefered a boy to a girl (6). If parents are able to preselect their unborn child’s sex, the population of boys compared to girls will increase, leading to a gender imbalance. This is harmful to society because over time, men will have a harder time finding a partner. In some western countries, this has already made a large impact. China for example, is expected to have “more than 30 million men to women expected by 2020,” explains reporter Fauziah Ibrahim of 101 East News (2). In China, the gender imbalance

Deoxyribonucleic acid is inherited from one generation to another. DNA carries an organism’s genetic material. This genetic material makes up an organism. The specific sequence of base pairs of one’s DNA is different in each organism and is passed on from parent to offspring. DNA is responsible for the creation of proteins needed to construct the organism, this includes the organism’s gender. DNA also carries genetic mutations from one generation to the next. As certain diseases are spread genetically and are gender specific the use of DNA technology can eliminate them. Gender selection by in vitro fertilization should be implemented into society as the technology is available and it will positively affect civilization by eliminating gender specific diseases, which outweighs the religious social opposition. (Cobb, 2016)