Step right up! Pick your baby!
We all know I'm not a big fan of reproductive technology at this point, right? So seeing an article on CNN about how people are "selecting" for gender more often made my coffee want to come back up.
42% of the fertility clinics surveyed stated that they had selected for sex. Not to avoid disease. SEX.
Monkey wants a boy, monkey gets a boy.
According to one doctor "It performs a much desired service. We're making people happy"
We bitch and whine and moan that our current generation of KIDS are ungrateful little snots, who think everything is about them, and only want to be happy.
Where do you think that comes from?
Let's flash forward a few years-let's assume we have a country that's turned into even MORE of a theocracy, where boys are highly valued, and girls, meh, not so much. Keep a few around for breeding.
While this type of thing may support my lesbian island utopia, I don't like it. As women we are told that we cannot choose when to abort a potential being in OUR wombs, but if we want to manipulate said potential, then go to town? If we want to force a 50 year old body to have babies it wouldn't otherwise have, go to town! We can alter the baby before it's a baby!
How wonderful! We don't have to actually make a decision anymore, or accept life as it is, spontaneous and shocking. We can ask a doctor to make us "happy"!
While I'd much prefer that people carrying deadly diseases NOT reproduce (thinking about the gene pool here) I support using rep.tech. in this manner, because it makes sense. The ultimate goal is to reduce the suffering a child may experience. It's a benefit of a modern society.
But picking your child like a pair of shoes, chancing multiple births that you may not be able to physically handle, or financially afford-it's icky, and it's actually rather scary.
Individuals from China come to the US for this procedure. And we all know why. Because their own country bans the practice, and people want boys. So they get boys. Lots of boys. They've already passed laws to try and prevent sex selection abortions. Now, they can avoid that messy little part.
I don't get it. Of course, I don't get the drive to have "your own" child when so many children need homes and parents. I find it selfish to consider your own needs in this way. Sure, you get something with a penis-but what if he happens to be gay and doesn't fulfill your ideas of a man? What then, you try again?
I've thought for a long time that we've jumped into these technologies blindly, but also in a discriminatory way. And it frightens me. People will argue passionately for or against vaccines, and yet have no qualms with manipulating the beginnings of a potential life?
Regardless, I think I lost my appetite this morning.
42% of the fertility clinics surveyed stated that they had selected for sex. Not to avoid disease. SEX.
Monkey wants a boy, monkey gets a boy.
According to one doctor "It performs a much desired service. We're making people happy"
We bitch and whine and moan that our current generation of KIDS are ungrateful little snots, who think everything is about them, and only want to be happy.
Where do you think that comes from?
Let's flash forward a few years-let's assume we have a country that's turned into even MORE of a theocracy, where boys are highly valued, and girls, meh, not so much. Keep a few around for breeding.
While this type of thing may support my lesbian island utopia, I don't like it. As women we are told that we cannot choose when to abort a potential being in OUR wombs, but if we want to manipulate said potential, then go to town? If we want to force a 50 year old body to have babies it wouldn't otherwise have, go to town! We can alter the baby before it's a baby!
How wonderful! We don't have to actually make a decision anymore, or accept life as it is, spontaneous and shocking. We can ask a doctor to make us "happy"!
While I'd much prefer that people carrying deadly diseases NOT reproduce (thinking about the gene pool here) I support using rep.tech. in this manner, because it makes sense. The ultimate goal is to reduce the suffering a child may experience. It's a benefit of a modern society.
But picking your child like a pair of shoes, chancing multiple births that you may not be able to physically handle, or financially afford-it's icky, and it's actually rather scary.
Individuals from China come to the US for this procedure. And we all know why. Because their own country bans the practice, and people want boys. So they get boys. Lots of boys. They've already passed laws to try and prevent sex selection abortions. Now, they can avoid that messy little part.
I don't get it. Of course, I don't get the drive to have "your own" child when so many children need homes and parents. I find it selfish to consider your own needs in this way. Sure, you get something with a penis-but what if he happens to be gay and doesn't fulfill your ideas of a man? What then, you try again?
I've thought for a long time that we've jumped into these technologies blindly, but also in a discriminatory way. And it frightens me. People will argue passionately for or against vaccines, and yet have no qualms with manipulating the beginnings of a potential life?
Regardless, I think I lost my appetite this morning.
Labels: abortion, reproductive technology, sex selection, utopia
How long until Adam's Curse becomes a reality?
Posted by
Missy |
11:18 a.m.
It's probably legal but to me it's immoral.
Blue eyed, blond boys? Goosestepping?
Scary.
Posted by
Granny |
11:46 a.m.
That's the sucky thing about the majority of recent scientific discoveries -- the first thing someone tries to do with the research is make money.
These people know that gender selection will net them MILLIONS of dollar so they'll eagerly spend time and money perfecting and advertising the process. Disgusting world we live in.
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:38 p.m.
Yep, it's gross, isn't it? I can't imagine caring one way or another about the sex, so those people are just freaks AFAIK.
Posted by
Brianne |
10:50 a.m.
Jen, that's totally my mantra lately. I find we're too eager to jump into some things, and yet so bloody worried about other little things.
I don't really get the corrolation with people who use genetic manipulation to create their children, and then get all nutty about organics, et al. I can't help but worry that 30 years from now, some of these kids will start twitching and never stop.
I hope I'm wrong.
Posted by
thordora |
1:43 p.m.