Pros And Cons Of Sex Selection Of Embryos

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Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is a technique used to screen embryos created through in vitro fertilisation, for a specific genetic condition or chromosome abnormality. However, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can also be used for sex selection. Sex selection is a controversial field in artificial reproductive medicine. It provokes fears about possible impacts on society regarding the possibility of ‘designer babies’ through non-medical sex selection of embryos, i.e. the selection of embryos for a reason other than medical purposes. A ‘designer baby’ is an embryo that has been genetically modified to produce certain desired traits. There are ethical concerns that non-medical sex selection of embryos can represent a withdrawal from the universal aim of medicine to cure and/or alleviate pain. The notion also questions established concepts about a parent’s acceptance of their child, the unconditional love they have for them and whether the gender of the child would affect this. …show more content…
However, as in Australia, the practice is still prohibited in the United Kingdom and New Zealand partly due to the strength of public opinion. Furthermore, the Australian committee recommended further “public debate and broad social and political discussion” on the potential for the non-medical sex selection of embryos in limited circumstances. While the legislation and guidelines acknowledge that there are some circumstances where the non-medical sex selection of embryos could be appropriate, the weight of the argument remains against the use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for the non-medical sex selection of embryos or ‘designer