Sex-Selection Essay, Research Paper
A Girl or a Boy Whom You Want Your Future Child Be?
In our time technology gets to the point were can be said in advance if the fetus will have any defects and what the gender of the future child will be. One of the technological machinery that is used in identifying fetus’ gender is ultrasound. In cases of pregnant women at older age or because of the family history that may cause some health problem to the fetus prenatal diagnostic is done. This is the original and still the only purpose for which prenatal diagnostic is used. In the past this procedure was very risky and there were many cases when because of this procedure fetus got harmed. Now the same procedure becomes virtually risk free for both the mother and the fetus. Also, since all these technological machinery is modern that makes the use of it very expensive. The question that the following case raises is if it is permissible to allowed use of prenatal diagnostic for the perfectly healthy fetus just because their parents wanted to find out the future gender of their child?
As it was point out prenatal diagnostic is the new technology in modern medicine. And even though that prenatal diagnostic get to the point that it virtually risk free for both mother and fetus the word virtually warns that there is still a small chance remains that something may go wrong. Therefore mother’s willingness to go on with diagnostic of the healthy fetus put fetus and mother itself at some minimum and unnecessary risk. Even smallest percentage of the unnecessary risk would be considered inappropriate and carrying mother would not go for diagnostic unless it would be totally necessary.
The Simpsons family got three children all three of them are girls. Tom, the father of these children, always wanted to have a son in the family. The reason that was given that with the son he could play sport, go fishing and he will continue the family name. After some time his wife got pregnant again, and in order to find out about the gender of the fetus they requested prenatal diagnostic. But nearby fertility clinic turn down their request saying that what the Simpsons were planned to do is immoral, and that sex- selection for non-medical reason, that no doubt was the reason for diagnostic in this case, is not permissible.
One of the points that can be made that if prenatal diagnostic will be allowed for one healthy fetus why it will not give rights for anyone to enter the fertility hospital and get diagnostic. This point based on Kantian’s notion of the universal law, which state if one law that can be apply to one need to be apply to everyone. If prenatal diagnostic will be open for everyone more problems come into the picture. The question of the resources that would be spent on this treatment and rightfulness in allowing parents to know about fetus’s gender at all?
A lot of the medical procedures are paid by public or private insurance. This insurance companies usually have some quote on amount of the fund that can be paid for one or another treatment. Therefore by opening door for prenatal diagnosis to everyone, we are putting pregnant women at the risk that sooner or later there will be no money to pay for this treatment. It is applied that pregnant women would have possibility in having unhealthy child would not get required diagnostic. That is mean that child would have grater chance be born with some defects that could be queer while child was in side the mother’s woon.
To answer the second question we need to take in the consideration the fact that in out world there are people that have preferences of one sex or another. For these people the prenatal diagnostic give the power to make their dreams come true. For example, if the couple wants or allowed (can afford) to have only one child in the family, and they want for this child to be a boy. With help of prenatal diagnostic they can see if the fetus is the gender that they want. If the fetus is not a wanted gender in early stage they could easily abort it and continue to do abortions till the boy will be born. Also some cultures still practiced “the first son” rule. This rule said that the first son inherits all what his parent have; plus he will carry family’s name and consider to be bigger support when parents will became old. That is the reason why even when parents will get the referral to the prenatal diagnostic the gender of the fetus needs to stay secret. The same reasons can apply to the ultrasound diagnostic at the later stages of the development.
The Simpsons ask for the diagnostic with sex-selection in mind. Even though that Tom’s wife mentions that even if it would be girl she will not go for abortion. The factor that could be suspicious is the stage of the pregnancy in which the request was made. It is interesting to note that at the early stage of pregnancy it much easier to made abortion. So if the Simpsons really wanted just to know the gender of their future baby. They would be better waiting some period of time when ultrasound could be applied. If the diagnostics would be done and the Simpsons would be given out the gender of the fetus then there would be nothing that could stop them from the aborting this fetus. The abortion would result is killing healthy fetus. There can be brought the question if the fetus at this stage of development is consider to be a human, but it asked to go into another category of the medical ethics.
Therefore by pointing out to negative sides to the idea of opening doors for prenatal diagnostic to the public, the answer to the main question is no. The purpose for the prenatal diagnostic should stay as they were originally met to be. That is in cases of the possibility for any kind of problem that may result in the birth of unhealthy child. Otherwise, if the prenatal diagnostic will be accessible for the public the diagnostic will result in decreasing of the birth rate and increasing of the abortion rate.