Sex selection: some ethical and policy considerations.
Sex selection, which refers to the attempt to choose or control the sex of a child prior to its birth, has become the subject of increasing ethical scrutiny and many jurisdictions have criminalized it except for serious sex-linked diseases or conditions that cannot easily be ameliorated or remedied. This paper argues that such a blanket prohibition is ethically unwarranted because it is based on a flawed understanding of the difference between sexist values and mere sex-oriented preferences. It distinguishes between ethics and public policy, and suggests a way of allowing preference-based sex selection as a matter of public policy without permitting value-based sex selection. It further argues that medically-based sex selection should be publicly funded but that preference-base sex selection should not be paid for by society, and that the prohibition against value-based sex selection should be enforced through legislation that controls the licensing of health care facilities and through disciplinary procedures against health care professionals.
Kluge
Eike-Henner W
EH
Department of Philosophy, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C V8W 3P4, Canada. ekluge@uvic.ca
D002170:Canada; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D011640:Public Policy; D046269:Reproductive Rights; D012743:Sex Preselection / Q000941:ethics*