Health - Gender

Gender Genetics and Sex Selection and Discrimination

Sex selection involves a number of medical techniques to choose an offsprings’ sex that is surrounded by a wide range of legal, social, and ethical implications. One significant ethical concern is that women engaging in sex selection for non-medical reasons reinforce sexist stereotypes and discriminatory actions that devalue females. Cultural and social bias in our societies sometimes forces couples to engage in sex selection because of gender preferences reasons in favor of a particular offspring often male. A woman who gives birth to only females may be discriminated against by members of her society; therefore, will engage in sex selection in favor of males.

Sex selection distorts the natural sex ratio that could lead to gender imbalance. Sex-selective abortion results to distortion of the natural sex ratio often in favor of males. It is quite disheartening that our societies have made the male children to be considered more valuable than the female child that could lead to an abortion. Additionally, use of genetic technologies for sex selection such as preconception sex selection methods and prenatal sex selection procedures have ethical concerns. The techniques reinforce gender discrimination by encouraging parents to pay attention to gender. For instance, a couple may decide to have their first child as a male due to societal pressures.

On the other hand, sex selection for medical reasons such as preventing the birth of affected children or at risk children for a genetic disorder related to a particular gender is justifiable. This implies that women have access to safe abortions instead of turning to unsafe abortions that are risky to them and the unborn. Undergoing unsafe abortions violates the rights of girls and women to life, health and development.

Sex selection may be encouraged to avoid neglect for surviving unwanted children. A son preference could lead to neglect of the girl child that involves inadequate clothing, biased feeding practices and lower- quality of health care. When families successfully achieve a desired sex ratio of children, for instance, two boys and one girl, they are likely to treat the girl in a better way such as giving them better treatment. Additionally, sex selection provides family balancing that gives them they joy of raising both girls and boys. Parents are likely to manage small families that have both genders.

Children are a gift from God and should all be treated with respect and value regardless of their gender. I consider children to be a blessing whether it is a boy or girl for we all have a purpose to fulfill in this world. Sex selection and gender genetics should be discouraged unless it is for medical reasons aimed at preventing disorders in a child. In case of multiple miscarriages or advanced maternal age, parents can be encouraged to undergo sex selection. Attempting to control an offspring sex to achieve a desired one is like controlling God’s work. People should stop devaluing the girl child in preference to the boy child and treat all children equally and consider them a blessing. Again, the process is quite costly and parents can save that money and spend it on their children. Health practitioners should encourage women to have healthy pregnancies but not focus on a specific gender. It is quite unfair that we can select the gender we want but not other characteristics like height or hair color. Let us appreciate our children since sex selection is a form of gender discrimination.

Reference Kockler, N. J., & Shannon, T. A. (2009). An Introduction to Bioethics. Paulist Press.