Should Parents Be Allowed to Choose the Gender of Their Children?

New technology means we can test for the gender of a child before birth. It's a technology that is available worldwide, in even the poorest of countries. But what are the consequences? This even handed little book discusses all possible answers to that questions. Ethical concerns have plagued gender diagnosis from the start. Those who favor using such methods stress being able to test for possible genetic problems, such as females with a genetic disposition for breast cancer. However, others have decried the procedures. In general, "Christian traditions oppose for sex-selective purposes" (p 7). Gender diagnosis goes on unabated now. "Between 1988 and 2003, there was a 33-fold increase in the annual manufacture of ultrasound equipment," (p 63) in India. Girl children were never preferred in the societies of China and India but before today there was no way to tell the gender of the child before birth. The new technology has cost the lives of fully 100 million females in China and India alone. Anyone interested in the subject will want to read "Missing Daughters" about the 100 million women lost to abortion in India and China, and "Bare Branches" which discusses the consequences of having a huge surplus of men. "Bare Branches" argues that "history, biology, and sociology all suggest that these 'surplus males' will generate high levels of crime and social disorder...Even worse...is the possibility that the governments of India and China will build up huge armies in order to provide a safety valve" (78). As we continue on this path, what will be the consequences?