That's a sexy selection

Since the abstract isn't up yet:

In this Committee Opinion, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Ethics presents various ethical considerations and arguments relevant to both prefertiliztion and post fertilization techniques for sex selection. The principal medical indication for sex selection is known or suspected risk of sex-linked genetics disorders. Other reasons sex selection is requested are personal, social or cultural in nature. The Committee on Ethics supports the practice of offering patients procedures for the purpose of preventing serious sex-linked genetic diseases. However, the committee opposed meeting requests for sex selection for personal and family reasons, including family balancing, because of the concern that such requests may ultimately support sexist practices. Because a patient is entitled to obtain personal medical information, including information about the sex of her fetus, it will sometimes be impossible for health care professionals to avoid unwitting participation in sex selection.

This statement is in reaction to new types of pre-implantation selection. One can now use sperm sorting to decide the gender of their baby (females always donate an X chromosome, males can donate either a X or a Y). Or, embryos created through in vitro fertilization can be selectively implanted.

After implantation, the sex can be determined either through ultrasound or cytogenetic analysis of amniotic fluid or villi (amniocentesis). Cytogentics is the study of chromosomes.

Because of the risks involved (although recently downgraded by quite a bit) amniocentesis is typically only used when the mother is of advanced maternal age or there is a history of chromosomal disease in the family.




I personally doubted a lot of sex selection is going on in the US, mostly because of the stigma attached to what's going on in India and China. But, then I found this site. The writer argues for using sperm sorting to choose the gender of children for family balancing reasons, exactly what the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology is arguing against.

Should we do things just because we can? It seems like a skewed sex ratio would be bad for society but there's always a chance people won't all choose the same gender.