In the article “Is It Ethical to Choose a Baby’s Sex”, Rachael Rettner discusses the case of celebrity couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who are rumored to have selected the sex of their second child.1 The article suggests that sex selection maybe acceptable for medical reasons, but it also calls into question the morality of the practice for social purposes. The Center for Human Reproduction defines sex selection as “a fertility procedure used to choose the gender of a baby prior to conception”.2 In this paper, I will address the use of sex selection for social purposes, leaving aside its use for medical purposes. To do so, I will explore its potential unfavorable consequences in terms of interfering with the natural sex ratio, the practice
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Empirical evidence of unbalanced sex ratios can be seen in China. In the early 1980s in China, the sex ratio was about 108 boys to 100 girls.3 With the practice of sex selection, the sex ratio has increased from 111 boys to 100 girls in 1990, to 116 boys to 100 girls in 2000, to 120 boys to 100 girls in 2004.3 One study points out that there were 33 million more boys than girls in China in 2014.4 These statistics suggest that sex selection for non-medical reasons results in an unbalanced sex ratio. These statistics also imply that about 33 million males will have difficulty finding their spouses, which is known as “marriage squeeze”. Hudson and Boer interpret this imbalance as one of the causes of social upheaval. They write, “young adult men with no stake in society – of the lowest socioeconomic classes and with little chance of forming families of their own – are much more prone to attempt to improve their situation through violent and criminal behavior.”5 According to Tom Strode, the excess of males and the lack of females are leading to “rampant kidnapping and trafficking of women” in some areas in China.6 Nicholas Eberstadt addresses the future of China in his article “The Demographic Future”. As he …show more content…
It is morally wrong in that allowing sex selection may reinforce social stereotypes. According to Powledge, making decisions about a potential person on its sex is “one of the greatest displays of sexism”.5 Allowing sex selection for social purposes will likely reinforce in people’s mind the stereotype that it is morally right to choose the sex of one’s potential child. Choosing sex for social reasons strengthens the sexist notion that “all girls are Y and all boys are X”, strengthening sexist gender role expectations. Berkowitz and Snyder argue that “male and female children are equally valuable and capable”.8 This means that social roles or expectations ought not to be determined merely by sex. Thus the practice of sex selection violates the principle of equality. Also, many cultures like China and India, already have male preference for a long time. In China, boys receive more care and attention from parents than girls.9 So the practice will allow parents to act on a sexist bias. However, this is morally wrong, as Blyth argues that “children have the right to be loved, respected, and valued for their inherent worth”.5 It follows that sex selection violates human dignity. Hence, sex selection ought to be avoided so as to prevent
Empirical evidence of unbalanced sex ratios can be seen in China. In the early 1980s in China, the sex ratio was about 108 boys to 100 girls.3 With the practice of sex selection, the sex ratio has increased from 111 boys to 100 girls in 1990, to 116 boys to 100 girls in 2000, to 120 boys to 100 girls in 2004.3 One study points out that there were 33 million more boys than girls in China in 2014.4 These statistics suggest that sex selection for non-medical reasons results in an unbalanced sex ratio. These statistics also imply that about 33 million males will have difficulty finding their spouses, which is known as “marriage squeeze”. Hudson and Boer interpret this imbalance as one of the causes of social upheaval. They write, “young adult men with no stake in society – of the lowest socioeconomic classes and with little chance of forming families of their own – are much more prone to attempt to improve their situation through violent and criminal behavior.”5 According to Tom Strode, the excess of males and the lack of females are leading to “rampant kidnapping and trafficking of women” in some areas in China.6 Nicholas Eberstadt addresses the future of China in his article “The Demographic Future”. As he …show more content…
It is morally wrong in that allowing sex selection may reinforce social stereotypes. According to Powledge, making decisions about a potential person on its sex is “one of the greatest displays of sexism”.5 Allowing sex selection for social purposes will likely reinforce in people’s mind the stereotype that it is morally right to choose the sex of one’s potential child. Choosing sex for social reasons strengthens the sexist notion that “all girls are Y and all boys are X”, strengthening sexist gender role expectations. Berkowitz and Snyder argue that “male and female children are equally valuable and capable”.8 This means that social roles or expectations ought not to be determined merely by sex. Thus the practice of sex selection violates the principle of equality. Also, many cultures like China and India, already have male preference for a long time. In China, boys receive more care and attention from parents than girls.9 So the practice will allow parents to act on a sexist bias. However, this is morally wrong, as Blyth argues that “children have the right to be loved, respected, and valued for their inherent worth”.5 It follows that sex selection violates human dignity. Hence, sex selection ought to be avoided so as to prevent