The Manipulation of Birth: How the authority puts the case for and against
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Your support makes all the difference.THE Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has set out the following arguments in its consultative document.
Sex selection of babies should not be allowed because:
Sex selection would upset the balance of males and females which are produced by nature;
Many who have religious beliefs feel that the determination of sex is divine. Humans should not seek to 'play God';
Sex selection could place undesirable emphasis on the value of either sex;
It is a slippery slope towards selecting children for specific characteristics, such as hair or eye colour;
Buying a selection service could reduce children to consumer goods. A child could be valued for its sex rather than itself.
Selection should be allowed because:
People should be allowed to exercise as much free will over their lives as possible;
If medical science allows a new choice, without harm, people should be able to exercise it;
Throughout history people have sought to reduce their dependence on the environment and upon chance;
Accepting the lottery of natural sex determination cannot be said to be morally superior to exercising choice;
A child who is the 'right' sex would be greatly loved and valued.
Sex Selection; Public Consultation Document; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Paxton House, 30 Artillery Lane, London SE1 7LS; free.
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