Gender Selection in Human Embryos

Gender selection in human embryos
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Gender selection in human embryos
These days, parents are able to utilize genetic engineering in selecting their child’s gender by directly manipulating the gender of an embryo. However, the usage of this technique creates ethical and moral concerns in the view of some people (Milliez, 2011). In this paper, the ethics in gender selection in human embryos is discussed exhaustively. This paper also covers whether the consequences of actions always direct what is morally required, what needs to happen whenever 2 principles come into conflict, and whether moral and ethical rules are always binding or they are just guidelines to be assessed in every case.
Sex selection entails attempting to control the offspring’s gender in order to attain a desired gender. Sex selection could be achieved in a number of ways, both at post-implantation and pre-implementation of an embryo, and even at birth. Parents might ask for sex selection for different reasons. Medical reason includes preventing sex-linked genetic disorders (Clinch & Osland, 2012). Additionally, there are various personal, cultural, economic and social reasons for choosing the gender of offspring. In cultures where boys are more highly valued than girls, the practice of sex selection is done in order to ensure that the child would be a boy. Parents who have one or more kids of the same gender might ask for sex selection for family balancing purposes – to have a kid of the other gender (Colls et al., 2010).
The ethics of sex selection
Statements have been issued by a number of organizations regarding the ethics of healthcare providers’ involvement in sex selection. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) ethics committee holds that using preconception sex selection through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for non-medical reasons is morally problematic and needs to be discouraged (Milliez, 2011). Nonetheless, it also issued a statement in which it asserted that if pre-fertilization methods, especially flow cytimetry for sperm sorting, were shown to be effectual and safe, then these methods and procedures would be allowed from the ethical viewpoint for purposes of family balancing. Given that a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is, in essence, physically more burdensome and usually involves destroying and getting rid of embryos, it was not regarded similarly allowable for family balancing (Milliez, 2011). The United Nations (UN) adopted The Programme of Action which opposes the usage of selection methods for non-medical reasons. The UN advises governments globally to take appropriate measures to stop prenatal sex selection (Clinch & Osland, 2012).
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the ethical issues pertaining to sex pre-selection are as follows: unnecessary medical costs and burdens for the parents; the potential for intrinsic sex discrimination; as well as potentially unfair and inappropriate usage of limited medical resources (Clinch & Osland, 2012). It is notable that there is a likelihood that the kids who are products of sex selection techniques would feel higher expectations or extra pressures plac...