Since nature has endowed humankind with intellect and curiosity, humanity
has gained a great deal of knowledge by observing and studying nature.
Moreover, the desire to know gave rise to innovation and technology in
replicating and manipulating nature. Irrigation and soil preservation methods
are two of the earliest known technologies used to enhance cultivation in
agriculture. Also, technology has
produced a range of hybrid of species in the breeding of animals and plants. On
the other hand, the DNA manipulation of cloning the famous sheep known as Dolly
resulted in a disastrous experiment causing numerous unanticipated sufferings ending
in the premature death of Dolly. Similarly, the patented technology used by
Genetics & IVF Institute in Fairfax, VA., to manipulate X (female) and Y
(male) Chromosomes of sperm for the desired gender of a baby should set-off
alarming concerns. More importantly, parents
should not utilize such technology of selective procreation by design and contribute
to the engineering of future generations as the technology raises fundamental
ethical, moral, and health questions.
Prior to the arrival of Islam in medieval Arabia (today’s Saudi
Arabia), fathers were burying female babies alive immediately after birth. In
many cultures, women continue to hold second class status; thereby, they do not
have the same access to education or employment opportunities as men. The male head
of the family relegates the role of woman primarily to be a housewife and to bear
children. Sherry B. Ortner, a renowned Professor of Anthropology at UCLA explains
that “The secondary status of women in society is one of the true universals, a
pan-cultural fact” (Ortner 67). Like
many patriarchal societies, in India, a female child is considered to be an
economic burden, as well as a cause of disgrace to the family. In contrast, a male
child is preferred for an offspring because a boy is considered to be a
breadwinner, and can support the parents in their golden age, as well as retain
wealth of inheritance within the family.
Because of male child favoritism in India, ultrasound imaging
technology has enabled parents to see the sex of the fetus. As a result, female
fetuses are aborted. Evidently, ultrasound technology has helped promote the
prevailing cultural tradition. Consequently, numerous abortions are performed
every year, leaving imbalance of male and female ratio throughout the country. In
a study published in The Lancent Medical Journal, Dr. Jha et al. found that “…over
the past 2 decades into the abortion of some 10 million female fetuses” (211). As the ultrasound equipment becomes cheaper,
allowing more and more Indian clinics to purchase it, the gender imbalance in
the population is growing at the exponential rate.
The use of the patented sperm sorting technology that enables
parents to predetermine the sex of the unborn child not only invokes both
ethical and moral questions but also leaves too many unanswered questions. Adding
dye to the sperm and blasting the sperm under laser light to separate to X(female)
and Y(male) chromosomes may cause unforeseen health issues. Furthermore, the long-term
health effects are still unknown to both the mother and the unborn child. Although
the researchers at Genetics & IVF Institute anticipate no safety concerns;
reproductive biologist Edward F. Fugger says, “That doesn’t mean that all of the risk has been excluded,” (qtd. in
Fackelmann 147). Fugger also says. “There
is a lot that’s not known.” (qtd. in Fackelmann 147). Besides, moral, and
ethical grounds and overwhelming evidence of doubt taints the technology for
parents to take part in the selection of gender.
Throughout history, humankind has advanced in many fields of
knowledge, and through the use of technology, managed to enhance the standard of
living in numerous ways. At the same time, technology also negatively contributed
to environmental degradation, biological defects in humans and animals causing
aliment, radiation exposure and meddling with food by genetic modifications. Similarly,
the technology of separation of sperm and selection of sex by design is another
invention that will have a negative impact on humanity and should not be
considered. Thus, parents-to-be must weigh the benefits and risks associated
with this technology; from the evidence demonstrated, so far, the technology
has not proved to be safe. Therefore, the use of this technology that manipulates
a biological product is a dangerous adventure and must be avoided at all times.
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