Running head: GENDER SELECTION

Is Gender Selection of a Fetus Ethical?
Emily Myer
Grand Canyon University
NRS 437V
08.21.2010

Gender Selection

It is a commonly known fact that countries such as China and India prize their male children far above their females. Investigations have also shown that many parents in these countries have been illegally aborting these less desirable female children as a means of gender selection. As a result, it is estimated that there will be nearly 60 million more men of marriageable age in China than women by the year 2050. (The Economist, 2011) A recent technological development published in the Journal of the American Medical Association report that, “a new maternal blood test can determine a fetus’ sex as early as seven weeks into a pregnancy” (Ravitsky, 2011). Is it possible that this technology, in and of itself, can pose an ethical threat to humanity? Some are already saying that it does. One such critic is Vardit Ravitsky, an assistant professor in the bioethics program at the University of Montreal. She is also the editor of “The Penn Center Guide to Bioethics”. In her opinion piece published on CNN’s website, she asserts that this new technology is safer, less invasive, and more accurate than the options that are currently available to the public, making it much easier to use for non-medical purposes such as gender selection (Ravitsky, 2011). For the purpose of this assignment, the ethical implications of gender selection through the use of gender prediction tests during pregnancy will be discussed. My personal view concerning this topic is derived from a moral particularist as well as a deontological perspective. I was raised a Christian and believe strongly in these values. I am also a staunch proponent for women’s rights as well as a huge advocate for maintaining our autonomy in society, however I also believe that a human is a human from the moment of conception and do not support murder of any kind. My view is that we do not attain humanness during some magical moment or when scientists and politicians consider one “viable”. While I admit that I lean more toward a rule-utilitarianist approach, I also sympathize with those who support abortion when a mother’s life is at risk. On this issue, I would take more of an act-utilitarianist stance because, although it remains in conflict with my original view that the child is still alive and very much a human being, there is now a chance that two lives will be lost if the pregnancy is not terminated. Inconvenience and gender preference are simply not justifiable reasons for abortion no matter what country one lives in. With that said, some argue that parents may fear that their child is at risk for a sex-linked condition. My original position still stands, however, that regardless of the findings abortion is not justified. I’d like to reiterate the fact that we are discussing the issue of gender selection through the use of gender prediction tests during pregnancy, not in vitro implantation of a known male or female embryo. This is a whole separate ethical issue altogether. Gender “selection” during pregnancy directly implies that the parents intend to abort the child if it is not the desired sex. I’d now like to explore the various strategies that may be employed with regard to this topic. The FDA has not yet approved this particular test for routine use by physicians, but if it were, how should it be regulated? Should it be regulated at all? Does patient autonomy take precedent over the fact that this test may be used for the purpose of sex selection and non-medical outcomes? (Ravitsky, 2011) It seems that regulation of such tests would be difficult, as patients would not necessarily choose to divulge the motive behind receiving the test. The bottom line in this case is that abortion itself is legal in the U.S. and women need not state a specific reason for having the procedure. There are clinics all over the world that provide gender selection services and I would advocate for prohibiting the use of these tests for that specific purpose. In China and India these practices have been in place for over a decade and we are now seeing the social impact that it is having, as the gender ratios are so grossly skewed. Granted, social mores provide the impetus for their behavior, however the ethical impact is the same all over the world. If this technology were to be approved for routine use, laws could be put in place that could help prevent physicians from using the service for the purpose of gender selection. For example, once a woman receives the test and discovers the sex of the baby, this could be filed in an official database. If that same woman were to request an abortion after receiving the test without a medical reason, a red flag would then go up. If this woman were to develop a pattern of this behavior and request another abortion after a similar test result, a waiting period and counseling would be mandated. Many would argue that this is a violation of a woman’s right to privacy, however I would advocate for this particular strategy. Another strategy might involve allowing women to practice gender selection in order to protect freedom of choice, privacy and patient autonomy. This could, however, lead to serious social and ethical consequences similar to those seen in China. Many conservatives in the 1970’s were concerned that Roe vs. Wade would take society down an ethical slippery slope. No one at that time could have foreseen where technology would eventually take this issue. Where will the line be drawn? When is the use of this right going to cross the line? What will stop science, or society for that matter, from using genetic testing to select certain genetic preferences such as blonde hair or blue eyes? This sounds eerily familiar. Eugenics was a heated issue in the 1940’s and we fought hard against such “genetic cleansing”, but could we be heading in that direction now?
References
Burkhardt, M., & Nathaniel, A. (2008). Ethics & Issues in Contemporary Nursing (3rd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Leaning.
The Economist. (2011). The decline of Asian marriage: Asia's lonely hearts. The Economist, July, 2011, 1. Retrieved August 16, 2011, from The Economist Web site: www.economist.com
Ravitsky, V. (2011). Is Gender Selection of a Fetus Ethical? . (Original work published 2011) Retrieved August 16, 2011, from CNN.com Web site: www.cnn.com/ 2011/ OPINION/ 08/ 15/ ravitsky.gender.selection/ index.html?hpt=he_c2

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