Dr. Aaron Miller
English Composition 115
Shanelle Gayden
“Choosing the Sex of Your Baby” is a great article that I just read for English 115. This article cross examines the issues that would come along with choosing the sex of your baby. Choosing the sex of your baby is a topic many couples discuss. This article discusses biomedical science, the parental view, and the society’s view. The American Society has just endorsed in vitro fertilization techniques to help parents determine the sex of their child. This issue is argued and raises ethical concerns. One of the main concerns is parents will possibly want to change other genetics such as eye color. The arguments raised from choosing the sex of your baby are parents would prefer a certain gender order and force gender discrimination. Parents plead that they should have maximum freedom to choose reproductive matters and it causes no harm. Parents believe that it is fair to choose the sex of the second child. Choosing the gender will be a very costly procedure. Cost will play a major role in who would actually be able to take advantage of this procedure. The society is amongst competitive pressures in the fertility industry. The methods that would be used raises concern. This issue remains complex because it involves discarding embryos based on the sex. Gender discrimination is also a factor. Society stands in a neutral position with the outlook of the scientific and parental view. Choosing the sex of your child leads to issues that will affect the society. To determine ones sex through science, while creating the perfect family according to gender. It is clearly not an overnight decision. Although choosing the sex of your baby seems so simple, this clearly can lead to ethical concerns.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the article Designer Babies and the Pro-Choice Movement, the author Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow discusses her findings and research on the topic. According to her research over the last Century the link between sex and reproduction has diminished, sex today has no necessary relationship to childbearing. Now with a growing fertility industry any one with an extra 20,000 dollars can take baby- making from the bedroom to the laboratory In-…
- 1104 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Sandel says, “For couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), it is possible to choose the sex of the child before the fertilized egg is implanted in the womb” (127). In vitro fertilization allows the fertilized egg to be tested to see what sex the baby is. If the egg turns out to be a different sex than what the woman wants, the option to abort it arises. Those who believe that an embryo is a person, reject embryo screening for the same reasons they reject abortion. If an eight-cell embryo growing in a petri dish it is morally equivalent to a fully developed human being, then discarding it is no better than aborting a fetus, and both practices are equivalent to infanticide.…
- 960 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The right to have children is understood in very different ways and people’s ethics and values are put…
- 1320 Words
- 4 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Altering an egg cell in order to create a healthy baby is a very controversial issue. Physically separating an unhealthy egg and transferring the DNA to a healthy donor seems like a positive thought. On one hand, it seems very helpful for an unhealthy mother, but there may be many underlying problems. The ethical issues, along with possible legal ramifications, evolutionary impacts and regulation pose possible concerns. For example, who should have the authority to make such a decision in the first place? If this is allowed, what will the future hold with this type of technology and ability? Since a donor egg is involved, how would legal custody be determined over the child that is born? Will a child produced from this have problems later in their life? There are many questions that are brought up when this issue is discussed, and they need to be addressed.…
- 306 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
According to the article "Should parents be allowed to choose the sex of their baby?" it states "If the process is not done carefully, the embryo could be accidentally terminated."(Storrs). As well as the cost of the procedure, if approved by the "Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority", it could be a staggering $3,000 (Marsh)! Furthermore, individuality will become something of the past, because most people will seek out good-looking, intelligent babies with other benefiting characteristics, everyone will be relatively similar. The chances of the embryo getting terminated is very slim though. If the procedure goes right, which most of the time it will go according to plan, then you get your perfect baby. On the other hand, if the procedure does not go according to plan, the the embryo will be terminated and there will be no child.…
- 604 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
When a new child is born into this world, the first thing that the parents learn is the sex of their new baby. From a very young age, you are either classified as a boy or a girl. However, defining one as a boy or a girl is not actually referring to the sex of a human being. Although they are often considered as the same thing, they are far from the same. Sex is defined as a biological status of a species according to internal and external reproductive organs and sex chromosomes. They are often characterized as male, female or intersex. Gender refers to the behaviour, attitude and feelings that a culture gives to a person’s biological sex. The topic of sex versus gender is an ongoing issue in today’s society because people are becoming more…
- 798 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Central to parents’ concept of their unborn children, gender is something that most moms and dads to-be can’t wait to discover, usually choosing to learn their baby’s sex well before delivery day. “Is it a boy or girl?” is undoubtedly the question most frequently aimed at expectant mothers around the world, so it’s no wonder that Toronto parents Kathy Witterick and David Stocker are sparking an international debate about the meaning of gender, identity, and the ideological values some parents place on their children.…
- 514 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
A subject that is very important to me is my decision to choose the side of pro-life. I understand the problem of young people getting pregnant, however I believe they shouldn’t doing that action if they aren’t ready for the consequences. Even if they aren’t ready, my personal opinion is that they should still have the baby, but have the baby get adopted. Even as a fetus, a baby in the womb is growing. It is a person, fully developed or not and I consider it to be murder if someone gets an abortion. For example, a pregnant woman gets murder, it will be considered as a double homicide, however during an abortion the baby is only considered as a fetus.…
- 121 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Oomman, N., & Ganatra, B. R. (2002). Sex selection: The systematic elimination of girls. Reproductive health matters, 10(19),…
- 902 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
When focusing on the sex-selected offspring growing into an adult and developmental concerns, they face psychological harm. Psychological egoism fuels many decisions to proceed with gender selection. The parent's believe their life will be better by having a certain gender offspring. This selfish view is motivated by their wants and desires. They are discriminating against an unborn child because of their own preconceived notions as to what the perfect offspring would be for them. The decision may cause regret in the future. Years after a couple has their child of chosen gender, certain instances may make them question if they should have chosen differently. If there is no choice made and the child is conceived naturally, there cannot be any regrets. Research has suggested that there have been cases of gender identity problems following gender selection, which stems back to the biological factor and development within the womb. This may cause animosity towards their parents and unnecessary psychological problems in their lifetime. The US Center for Genetics and Society points out that it does not consider what is best for the child: "Parental determination of a child’s sex could adversely influence the child’s interpersonal development, socialization process, and core identity."…
- 1446 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
The first argument on the ethics of abortion is that abortion is a personal choice. This idea on abortion intends to imply that a fetus is not a human life. The life of the new embryo is not forced to be carried out because of the rights women possess. If new life is growing in a woman, then it should be her decision as it is regarding her own bodily autonomy. Abortion should be in the best concern of the woman pregnant because it does not go out and affect those around her. Also if the women in situations where abortion is an option needed, then who is more correct to go and force them to carry out a pregnancy. The idea that people have some ethical claim to personal, bodily autonomy must be regarded as fundamental to the conception of any ethical, democratic, and free society. Given that autonomy exists as an ethical necessity, the question becomes how far that autonomy extends. The fact that a woman is going to proceed with an abortion does not affect the larger public so it should not be unethical for this action to take place because others think that it is wrong. Many people stand with the idea that abortion is ethically a personal choice because the situations can always be brought to the point where a…
- 1231 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Artificial insemination is a great medical procedure that gives women the chance to have a baby without having a male present in their life, but it does limit the knowledge of the child knowing the other 50% of his or her genes, especially if the donor was anonymous. Some women use this medical procedure for different circumstances: being unmarried, window of opportunity closing, or simply because the women are independent and feels like she does not need the help of a man to raise a child; whatever the reason it maybe, majority of sperm donors are anonymous to avoid complications in the future. Who knows, the mother could possibly become overwhelmed with the job of being a single parent and she might look for the donor and demand him to have some responsibly; which defeats the whole purpose of artificial insemination. A child conceived through artificial insemination does not know the potential genetic diseases that might be passed on from the father; therefore, sperm donors should not have the option to remain…
- 1030 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
How is it possible to choose the sex of your baby besides adoption? Has our society really dropped their morals so low? Before reading this text, I skimmed through, and seen that there were arguments pending on whether this should occur or not. I am curious as to why people would want to choose the sex of their baby. I see that as ‘cheating God’ in a way. Even if parents have a child of one sex, should they honestly get the choice of choosing the sex of their next child?…
- 409 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
With joys of reproductive technology comes many concerns and issue that have been not deemed moral. How will the child be affected by this? Can the couple or person held all of the procedures and things that need to happen? How much will this cost and is it effect? California has already passed a bill that somewhat takes a little control over the situation. The health department has to give detailed document that explains ART and all the drugs, hormones and high chances of having multiple embryos. The physician is also responsible for telling the couple or people that if they don’t follow the rules set for ART it will be consider a criminal violation. All parties involved need to get an explanation of all the risks involved in any process. There are even considering having a lifetime limit of how many eggs and women can sell and collect monetary values for not exceeding $5000.00. When it comes to ART California has become proactive with situation and others states or countries should follow their leads. Some feel there should also be screening for women age, race, political affiliation, and sexuality. There are many concerns but so little research on the overall affects it…
- 339 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The important con that should be considered is can we choose to kill unwanted pregnancies? One shouldn’t be so irresponsible to land up in a situation where they have to be unmerciful to the unborn. Most of unplanned pregnancies if extended to childbirth may prove to be wanted later. A growing embryo is considered human with the heartbeats initiating as early as 21st day of conception. So what if we cannot see the human form, it does have the potential to gain one. Choosing adoption as an alternative to abortion would give the baby its right to life. Should people opt for abortion as last-minute contraception when preaching their kids about the consequences of casual sex? Infection, sepsis, recurrent miscarriages and rarely death could be the complications of abortions.…
- 3132 Words
- 90 Pages
Good Essays