Is gender selection ethical?

The modern age is an interesting time, in terms of ethics. The fact of the matter is that advances in science, especially in the medical field, create a variety of ethical questions that have not been encountered in the past. One of the areas of controversy has surrounded the issue of gender selection, and whether or not gender selection is ethical. Your answer to the question of whether gender selection is ethical will vary based on your religious beliefs, your background, and your opinions about other issues, as well.

Some consider gender selection ethical in all cases. They view the advances in medicine to be useful for any number of purposes, including such relatively mundane purposes as choosing to have a child of a specific gender. The reasoning for wanting a child of a specific gender is irrelevant, they argue. The fact that the science is available means that it ought to be used.

There are some that argue that gender selection is ethical in certain cases. For example, if a family has a history of same-sex diseases that are hereditary, it may seem more humane to spare a child the risk of having this genetic disease by selecting the gender. Those that support this position argue that, at least in this case, gender selection is not only ethical, but that, given the opportunity, not selecting the gender would actually be unethical.

There are those that argue that gender selection is, inherently, unethical. They argue that gender selection may be used for sexist purposes, for example. They suggest that a society that prefers to have male children might wind up having a disproportionate number of men, and may even wind up seeing women as a failed result. They also may argue that genetic manipulation of any sort is, by its very nature, against the laws of ethics. They may suggest that it reeks of the genetic experiments conducted under the Nazis, for example.

Carefully weighing the question of whether gender selection is ethical is an important exercise, especially for couples to whom it is a choice because of needing In Vitro Fertilization.