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Context

The bioethical issue or decision at hand is the determination of the sex of the child while in the womb.

The pregnant lady, Fang Yin, is the one who must decide whether to find out the sex of the child or not.

The “One Child Policy” is a relevant fact to the issue because families are only allowed to have one child. This rule, as is the preference for a male child who can carry on the family name, are relevant facts to the issue and the decision makers.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders are the mother of the child, her husband and his family, the government of China, and last and most important, the unborn child itself.

The Chinese government is interested in combating poverty and improving the overall quality of life for its citizens, thus the policy for having one child per family. The husband and his family are interested in having a male heir who will carry on the family’s name, while the mother is interested in having a healthy baby – regardless of its sex. Lastly, the unborn baby, like all human beings, is interested in being alive.

The Chinese government is interested in keeping the country’s population under control. The husband and his family are interested in the sex determination of the unborn child so that they can decide whether to keep the child or not. The mother is interested in keeping her baby alive, while the baby is interested in staying alive.

Alternatives and Tradeoffs

The Chinese government could lift its One Child Policy, while the husband and his family could be more appreciative of the gift of even having a baby in the first place. The mother could take into consideration the worries her husband and his family have about the continuity of the family name.

The Chinese government, if it lifted the One Child Policy, would have to contend with a rapid population growth and the headache of apportioning limited resources appropriately to satisfy the populace. The husband and the family, however, would not need to pressure the mother so much. Meanwhile, by taking the sex-determination test, the mother would be able to fend off pressure if it turned out she was carrying a boy, or better argue how a girl could still ensure the family name thrived if the baby was female.

Solution

There are two possibilities – the child could be a boy or a girl. Since the Chinese government may not be expected to suddenly change its policy, the family could move to a rural area where citizens are not subject to the law if the child happened to be a girl. If that were not the case, then the family could remain in its current location. Whatever the case, however, the mother would need to take the sex-determination test so that such alternatives could be considered in good time, and so that the pressure being put on her would be reduced, too.