Sunday, February 28, 2016

Should parents be allowed to use IVF to choose the sex of their baby?

CNN (Feb. 26, 2016) Should parents be allowed to choose the sex of their baby?, by Carina Storrs:

Prospective parents may have preferences on whether they have a boy or girl.  In vitro fertilization (IVF) opens up new possibilities for parents to choose the sex of their baby as well as controversies about whether sex selection is appropriate.  The American Society for Reproductive Medicine initially took the position that use of IVF for sex selection should "not be encouraged" but recently eased its stance.

Determination of the sex of an embryo prior to implantation requires genetic screening, which provides prospective parents with genetic information about the embryo, including its sex.  Some clinicians argue that manipulating the embryo to conduct the screening creates an unnecessary risk , but there is no current evidence that it is unsafe.  There is also concern that the use of IVF for sex selection could divert resources away from medically necessary IVF.

Perhaps the greatest concern about sex selection is that it could cause or reinforce gender bias.  In the United States, there is no evidence that parental choice would lead to a gender imbalance, and it appears more likely that sex selection is used as a form of "family balancing."  For instance where parents of boys may decide they would like their next child to be a girl.  However, even this "gender neutral" form of sex selection may reinforce bias and attitudes about the link between gender differences and biological sex.  Canada and the United Kingdom have banned the use of IVF for sex selection except if it is used to avoid the risk of sex-linked genetic diseases.

 

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2016/02/should-parents-be-allowed-to-use-ivf-to-choose-the-sex-of-their-baby.html

Assisted Reproduction, Parenthood | Permalink

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