Pros And Cons Of Non Medical Sex Selection

Choosing the sex of a child is no longer a hypothetical issue. New genetic engineering technologies have rendered the ability to use non-medical sex selection, choosing between a boy and girl, through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. There have been many debates about non-medical sex selection, questioning whether or not it is an ethical procedure. Non-medical sex selection should not be an option within pre-implantation genetic diagnosis because it is an unnecessary decision that is not beneficial to either the parents or the child and can lead to negative consequences both within the home and throughout society.
To begin with, non-medical sex selection has allowed parents to choose the sex of their child out of personal preference. Having the ability to choose the sex of a child can lead to an imbalance of sexes. In a recent study by Sharp et al., it is noted that 78% of couples interviewed would choose to have a boy. If non-medical sex selection became commonplace, there would be a sex ratio imbalance. Other countries, such as India and China, have disparities among males and females because son preference is strong. It is clearly seen that this could become widespread …show more content…
Sharp et al., stated that most couples expressed a desire to limit the overall size of their family and indicated that they would prefer to have a single additional pregnancy. (p. 842) Couples also find an interest in non-medical sex selection to balance out the family. If there is a male child, a couple would want to aim for a female. Couples expressed varying levels of disappointment at not having had a child of the desired sex previously (Sharp et al., p. 842), and believe that non-medical sex selection would satisfy their familial needs. However, they also state that in the end it would not matter if they had a boy or a girl, because the child would be loved just the