Is It Ethical for Parents to Choose Their Child's Sex?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=1477

Philosopher Michael Sandel and medical researcher William Haseltine debate ethical issues in genetic engineering, in a conversation with the Aspen Institute's Elliot Gerson.

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"The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering" with Michael Sandel and William Haseltine speaking at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival. Elliot Gerson moderates the discussion.

Some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world all gathered in a single place - to teach, speak, lead, question, and answer at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the week, they all interacted with an audience of thoughtful people who stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion.

Michael J. Sandel is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he has taught political philosophy since 1980. He is the author of many books, including "The Case against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering" (Harvard University Press, 2007). His writings also appear in general publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The New York Times.

William A. Haseltine is chairman of Haseltine Global Health, LLC, a virtual pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing new and more efficient means to develop new life saving drugs and medical devices. He is also president of the Haseltine Foundation for Medical Sciences and the Arts, a foundation that supports access to high quality health for the poor and middle class of developing countries and that also fosters a dialog between sciences and the arts.

Elliot Gerson is executive vice president for Seminars and Public Programs at the Aspen Institute. Gerson is responsible for the Aspen Institute’s seminars, including the Executive Seminar, topical and custom seminars, and those offered in Socrates programs. He also manages the Institute’s public programs, including the Aspen Ideas Festival and the World Biomedical Forum. As American secretary of the Rhodes Trust, he manages the US Rhodes Scholarships.

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• gender
• dna
• genes
• selection
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[flibby489]

I believe it isnt ethical to choose the sex of an unborn child. The child should be accepted and loved the way it is, and this can encourage sexist views. Designer babies which will result in a society that will lack the immunity and uniqueness. "Survival of the Fittest" is not about the strenght and athletic ability but about the organisms ability to adapt into its environment.

[Janvierireland]

The correct thing to do is to accept whatever child you get and only let nature choose the sex of the child

[chrisstevensjunior]

It's ethical cuz its not the sexist people have their opinions such as wanting only boys

[FancyUnicorn]

@Janvierireland whatever child? Wouldn't a parent want to prevent their child from getting a genetic disorder like cystic fibrosis despite nature choosing for them? Cosmetic changes are one thing but health issues are another

[heartofalion26]

@paidophilos I'm sorry but that has NOT been proven.

[paidophilos]

Short answer: No. It's not ethical because it poses an unnecessary risk to the health of the infant.

[dalooloo28]

i believe that we have a responsibility as members of our human species to improve our fitness - our chance of survival. It's survival of the fittest that moves us forward after all. Choosing to not have a baby with a fatal illness is something that ill make the baby stronger, and will make us all, as a species, stronger. We owe it to ourselves. Choosing one sex over another is a different story however, because one sex is not above the other. Nature doesn't think so, and niether should we.

[mizzcrowley]

Why is a "lottery" of not knowing which child your sex will be more ethical than having a choice of your child's sex? What harm is there in choosing?

[Janvierireland]

@FIGHTFANNERD3 ,I am happy enought that you see sex selection is wrong but I hope also that a child should not have to be perfect to be accepted i.e.even with some disabilities

[FIGHTFANNERD3]

@Janvierireland sex selection is wrong but haveing a smart child a strong child is a good thing

[YellerFeller34]

whos to say it works... and if it does its not improving or curing anything, it's just making the disease go away

[dvid22]

bio freaks unit and take down you gen masters who mistreat you

[haveNOuse4aNAME]

this is basically a subtopic of choosing any number of characteristics of a person's potential child.

[Janvierireland]

It is wrong to do sex selection because having children is not and should never be about what the parents want as the child is in this world for himself or herself and not in this world for the parents anyway.So therefore its the parents duty to be grateful for whatever nature decides what the sex of their children should be and I find it especially hurtful of you to prefer males over females because of the long history of the undervaluing of female human beings.

[domephones]

If I had 3-4 daughters after trying for 1 son? Sorry man, that's foolish. Like I said, most NORMAL folks want one of each anyways.

[Janvierireland]

A child should be thought of as a gift whether male or female,planned or unplanned.The child exists in the world for himself or herself,not what the parents want-which is why things like parents doing sex selection or "designer babies" is wrong and interference with nature is wrong.

[Janvierireland]

I think they mean how teenage girls often rebel against their parents whether the teenagers are in the wrong or in the right,but if they meant something more serious than that,unfortunately not all girls are able to stand up against their parents and if the parents are the ones who are actually wrong,then this could be tragic-but perhaps I am digressing here.They went on to discuss other things besides sex selection.

[Janvierireland]

I think I understand.According to Erving Goffman "The sex"=Sexism

[domephones]

I say do everything possible to make people smarter, stronger, better looking, ect, why not? Society will benefit greatly from this. As for the choice of the child's sex before conception, let's not forget that women have the say in this, and most normal couples just want to have one of each sex.

[Janvierireland]

With the sex selection thing,not only would it be more likely that they would stop girls from being born,they would try to make sure that only or most conceptions would be from the sperm with the Y Chromosome.

[21woman]

Im back. "The sex, not religion is opium for people." is a quote from Erving Goffman, means that humans who have the might to define the future, everyone, that includes me and you too must be aware of the following. Opium is a drug that makes someone lazy and controlable and the humans who consumate it not use thier full potential. We get feed one opium since birth: SEXISM. Someone who is unaware of this feedings can not use thier full potentials as a complete free thinking human beeing.

[Janvierireland]

The problem is that it is more likely that there will de discrimination against women in that it is more likely that they would stop girls from being born.

[Janvierireland]

I disagree with choosing the sex of a child?Let nature decide the sex of the child.

[Janvierireland]

"The sex is really opium for people not religion."What is meant by this statement?And what do you mean by this statement?I understood the rest of your comment.Answer when you can.

[LiveEudaimonia]

whats the point in producing medication that can enhance ur kknowledge, only rich people would be able to afford the medication again causing a bigger seperation between the rich and the poor