Is elective gender selection in principle unethical?
ACOG6 and other international bodies7,8 oppose any form of elective gender selection primarily based on two arguments: (1) They consider gender selection sexist and, therefore, discriminatory against women, and (2) they express concern that elective gender selection may lead to gender imbalances in the general population, as reported in India and China, where societies very clearly favor male over female progeny. Ethicists, in addition, always raise the “slippery slope” argument by suggesting that elective gender selection would be only a first step in the inevitable progression towards “designer babies,” with specifically selected physical and mental attributes. A careful investigation of these arguments finds them unpersuasive, however. While some societies do indeed favor male progeny and, therefore, may be seen as sexist9 through Western eyes, the United States is a developed country. Third-world behavior patterns, therefore, do not apply. As we recently reported, couples seeking o
