Posted by
NOTLEGALROADKILLYET on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 6:00:11 PM
This is not an argument that I want to enter, but it is very much worth reporting on. The New York Times reports on the possibilities of choosing the sex of one's offspring:
Another method, used before the eggs are fertilized, involves sorting sperm, because it is the sperm and not the egg that determines a baby’s sex. Semen normally has equal numbers of male- and female-producing sperm cells, but a technology called MicroSort can shift the ratio to either 88 percent female or 73 percent male. The “enriched” specimen can then be used for insemination or in vitro fertilization. It can cost $4,000 to $6,000, not including in vitro fertilization.
Glen Cohen over at PrawfsBlawg has an interesting question:
I am particularly interested in the question of whether sex selection constitutes discrimination.
I'm even going to duck that question, though there are some interesting comments at PrawfsBlawg,
My comment is that Throughout the history of man, religion, and science, religion has always tried to keep up with science. If religious ethicists have addressed the religious ethics of pre conception sex selection, I am not aware of it. (Post conception sex selection by abortion is abortion, of course.)