Advancements in science and technology has given rise to opportunities to change people’s lives in a number of ways. One of the most beneficial advancements now is being able to select the sex of your child for medical or non-medical use. There are a number of reasons for why parents choose sex selection. The problem is that sex selection has become a controversial issue. Parents should be permitted to choose the sex of their baby because of medical reasons, family balancing issues, and the possibility of abortion rates being lowered.
Medical use is a common reason for why people want to be able to choose the sex of their baby. X-linked disorders are usually passed down to boys from the X chromosome they get from their mothers, which are carriers
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Elective sex selection seems to be a little bit more controversial than sex selection for medical use (“Gender Selection of Babies”). The parents select the sex of their baby that they prefer to have for different reasons. One reason being that parents might have planned one raising a boy or girl. Another reason being for family balancing issues (“Gender Selection of Babies”). Without sex selection as an option parents have to keep trying to have babies to get the desired gender they want. In the long run, parents could end up having only boys or girls in the family. Supporters of sex selection argue that parents should have the freedom to choose the sex of their child. Parents who choose elective sex selection should have the right to control their family. Overall elective sex selection is less problematic for parents who have to keep trying (“Gender Selection of Babies”).
If we socially accepted sex selection more, we could possibly see abortion rates decrease (Sam Lawrence). Sam Lawrence says “Currently, doctors report an increase in the number of parents opting for abortion after discovering the sex of their baby.” Which comes to show that some parents abort their child because the baby is not the sex they desire. If sex selection was accepted more parents wouldn’t have to keep trying, or aborting a child, because it is not the sex they
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The process is done by using In Vitro Fertilization, or IVF, and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD (Center for Human Reproduction). The embryo is conceived outside of the body, where it can be controlled. The cells of the embryo start to divide, and once it reaches six to eight cells one of the cells will be removed. The chromosomes of the embryo are analyzed, which allows the doctor to determine the sex. The embryo with the desired sex is implanted back into the uterus where the baby will grow. Removal of one of the cells does not harm the embryo to grow effectively (Center for Human
Savulescu also bring up the potential physiological risks associated with sex selection. Some evidence shows that sex selection can be damaging to the embryo however there is not sufficient research to support this claim1. Savulescu involves this claim in premise 1 stating that the risks associated with procedure should be scientifically investigated, as they do not interfere with the morality of sex selection as an end. If the procedure itself needs to be investigated it should according to Savulescu but the morality of having the procedure should not change because of
Dena Davis in the 5th chapter of “Genetic Dilemmas: Reproductive Technology, Parental Choices, and Children’s Futures” explores the global attitudes, policies, and morality towards determination of sex. She begins with presenting empirical evidence of some preferences held in countries such as India or China where there is a clear desire for male children. This inclination is so deeply held that mothers can be socially and physically harmed when, by pure biological chance, they fail to produce a male child. Davis and others allow sex selection in these cases, purely in the interest of harm reduction of mothers and their daughters born into such a situation. This example is contrasted with so-called “western” societies, where the preference
Genetic disorders can be caused by many of the 46 chromosomes in human cells. This specific disorder is linked to a mutation in the long arm of the X, or 23rd chromosome. The mutation is recessive, meaning a normal X chromosome can hide it. Females have two X chromosomes allowing them to hide the mutated recessive one, making them a carrier of the gene, while males only have one X chromosome, meaning that they are unable to hide the mutation and they become effected by the disease. Therefore if a male carries the gene, he is affected because he has no way of dominating the recessive gene, but if a female carries it, she is only a carrier and has a 50/50 chance of passing it on to her baby. This may seem like a high probability however, only one in every fifty thousand male births will have this immunodeficiency disease.
A recent Court of Appeal ruling looked at preimplantation and IVF selection and how it was possibly going to be prohibited in the UK. Therefore, there are many factors that need to be discussed to whether or not it should be outlaw...
Two of the most popular technologies used today for sex selection are, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) (Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2015). IVF involves combining the egg cells and the sperm cells outside the uterus. Once fertilized, the egg is then implanted back into the women’s uterus or stored for future use.
During the past six decades, the human being has been making great strides in science and technology. One of the most developed areas has been the new Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART). How far will you go? How perfect will your baby be? These are some questions that people do these days when they make the decision to have descendants. The determination of having children and pregnancy is a complex process. In these are involved psychological, social, economic, religious, and even legal factors. The goal of this article is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of using the Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART).
To restrict reproductive choice by prohibiting gender selection on the basis that it is sexist should not be seen as a relevant idea. Gender selection should always be allowed regardless of the reason for which it is occurring.
Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based on the predicted sex of the fetus. The selective abortion of female fetuses is most common in areas where cultural norms value male children over female children, especially in parts of Taiwan, Korea, China, and India. A 2005 study estimated that over 90 million females were "missing" from the expected population in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Taiwan alone, and suggested that sex-selective abortion plays a role in this deficit. India eliminates over half a million healthy girl fetuses annually, simply because of their gender.
The addition of a child into a family’s home is a happy occasion. Unfortunately, some families are unable to have a child due to unforeseen problems, and they must pursue other means than natural pregnancy. Some couples adopt and other couples follow a different path; they utilize in vitro fertilization or surrogate motherhood. The process is complicated, unreliable, but ultimately can give the parents the gift of a child they otherwise could not have had. At the same time, as the process becomes more and more advanced and scientists are able to predict the outcome of the technique, the choice of what child is born is placed in the hands of the parents. Instead of waiting to see if the child had the mother’s eyes, the father’s hair or Grandma’s heart problem, the parents and doctors can select the best eggs and the best sperm to create the perfect child. Many see the rise of in vitro fertilization as the second coming of the Eugenics movement of the 19th and early 20th century. A process that is able to bring joy to so many parents is also seen as deciding who is able to reproduce and what child is worthy of birthing.
Sex-linked disorders only affect males and are passed down through female carriers. A boy inherits the disorder when he receives an X chromosome with a mutated dystrophin gene (the genetic cause) from his mother. The dystrophin gene is the largest gene found in nature and was identified through a positional cloning approach. It's a highly complex gene, a large rod-like cytoskeletal protein which is found at the inner surface of muscle fibers. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
"Reproductive Technologies." Bioethics for Students: How Do We Know What’s Right?, edited by Steven G. Post, vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints in
There are variables that could affect her choice. She could be poor, the child could have a birth defect, and so on. Giving her a right to decide whether she should abort the baby, it’s entirely her choice. What if the mother was raped or she got pregnant from incest? Would you traumatise this mother with the child of the rapist for 9 months, and would you allow an inbred child that will most likely have a disability and be put through literal hell?
As a young adult, it may seem foolish to predict what your future family life will look like, especially in regards to children. Often times this reality is forced upon a select few, particularly homosexual couples; however, with the innovation of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a couple is met with promise and the hope of a successful family life. IVF can be described as a process by which a fetus is genetically formed in a laboratory setting. Though this process may seem unnatural in essence, it allows for a more diverse family arrangement through medical innovation. This procedure, though controversial, is seen by many as an advancement in the medical field and can be accredited to procuring a healthy child for an unfortunate family, whether
Determining whether to divulge the gender of a child should be a personal choice. Society should not dictate whether one chooses to disclose the sex of their child. At conception, the gender is determined by chromosome characteristics and it will be the male (male semen) that dictates whether the baby will be a boy or girl. Nowhere in any literature that has been read or published that it states that “society” is the determining factor whether a girl or boy will be conceived. Society suggests that knowing the gender is routine, but what may be considered routine for some is not necessarily customary for all. If one chooses to stray away from what is considered to be “normal” it poses or present an issue. Individuals are instantaneously met with opposition or back lash due to nondisclosure of the sex of their child whether it is unborn or born. A typical argument would be as to what color clothing to bring for the unborn or born child, should one bring pink or blu...
Sex determination is decided by the 23rd pair of chromosomes commonly known as the sex chromosomes. Males have XY as their 23rd pair and females have XX. A female gamete, the ovum, can only receive only the X chromosome and the male gamete, the spermatozoon can receive either the X or the Y chromosome when meiosis occurs. Therefore the male sperm is responsible for the sex determination of the baby.