Introduction In our advancing society, almost everything is possible. Due to the rapid development of genetics, parents now are able to choose the gender of a child. For some it may seem as a great step towards future when it will be possible not only to predict, but also to choose gender of a future child, while others are concerned with implementation of new scientific achievements into life. The Human Genome Project Under The Human Genome Project, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences within the human chromosomes were developed and unveiled to the public. This project was under development since 1980s. It has only been in the last thirty years, when scientists have learned to understand the complex processes involved in conception, and more recently, to manipulate them.
Science has the techniques that can overcome natural infertility, and attempt changes in the genetic make-up of the babies that are desired. (Challoner, 1999) Many nations participated in studying human DNA and it is predicted that by 2003 there will be all the required knowledge for choosing the gender of a future child without a single mistake. MicroSort MicroSort is a sex/gender selection method that was developed in 1998 by geneticist Edward Fugger. The method is based on sperm separation. The high technology approach used in MicroSort relies upon known fact that X chromosome carries almost three percent more DNA than that of Y chromosome. Special fluorescent molecules are created to attach to the DNA and the sperms passed under the ultraviolet light, which causes these molecules to emit light. The more light is emitted during the process, the more DNA is present in a particular sperm. An automatic machine; a flow cytometer, sorts large numbers of individual sperms quickly and with a high degree of accuracy.
The Essay on Studying The Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is a 15-year international research program to find the estimated 80,000 human genes and determine the sequence of the three billion DNA building blocks that underlie all of human biology and its diversity. The purpose of The Human Genome Project will characterize the genomes of human and selected model organisms through complete mapping and sequencing of their DNA. It ...
(Fugger, 1998) This actually allows selecting needed sperm that will influence the sex of a future child. Thus, it becomes possible to select the gender of a child. Concerns with genetics Today it is evident that there is much more than just a sum of genes, which mainly determine future abilities of an individual. Moreover, people today know how to manipulate with these genes in order to create an individual with certain chosen abilities and features. Some people believe that due to a scientific advance lot of existing problems with family planning can be solved, while there are others who oppose any scientific intervention connected with human genes. Major concerns associated with genetics exist because of the human disability to control the wise knowledge. There is no doubt that it is a great thing to discover the essence of human life, however life of a human is the most valuable thing and nobody has a right to mess with it. Nature has created humans with the way of reproduction, and any change in the existing order will certainly cause negative or positive consequences.
This essay will examine the influence of modern scientific achievements on society, which undoubtedly will have a huge impact on the future families and children. The main point of this essay is to discover what are the benefits and losses humans will endure due to the development of genetics, which will help to understand what the attitudes towards sex pre-selection in the society are. Therefore, should parents have an opportunity to select the gender of their child? Would it be ethical for families with fertility problems to choose which fertilized embryos get implanted and have the rest discarded as being the wrong gender? Ethics and sex pre-selection Today in our country, people are highly concerned with the ethical issues of sex pre-selection; therefore, different opinions exist in the society concerning this matter. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a group that establishes ethical guidelines for fertility clinics, the answer to these questions is certainly positive. Many specialists in the field of genetics around the country were shocked to hear this announcement, released in a letter written by John Robertson, an ethicist and lawyer at the University of Texas who is currently the acting head of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Some, however, have to offer the service immediately and report having received many requests for it over the years. The technology allowing pre-determining sex has existed for a long periodthere is actually nothing new about it. However, it was used almost exclusively for couples with legitimate fears of having babies with certain genetic diseases. For example, male embryos might be rejected because of the possibility of carrying hemophilia.
The Report on Pre-Selecting Sex of Children
------------------------------------------------- Pre-selecting sex of children Generations of parents-to-be have hoped and prayed for a baby of a particular gender (often in practice, for a boy, as cultural factors such as restricting inheritance of property and the family name to male heirs, restrictions on female economic activity, and the heavy cost of dowries when daughters are married have ...
In other cases, the embryo can be genetically tested for the disease itself, and only healthy embryos will be implanted, which certainly brings positive results. The Ethics Committee verdict The Ethics Committee (2001) raised serious ethical questions with such gender pre-selection, including the potential for inherent gender discrimination, inappropriate control over nonessential characteristics of children, unnecessary medical burdens and costs for parents, and inappropriate and potentially unfair use of limited medical resources. After all, if doctors are using their skills for non-medical reasons, then those resources cannot be brought to other individuals with indisputable need..
