Sex Selection of Children

1st Edition - September 28, 1983
Author: Neil G. Bennett
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 1 5 8 2 5 - 1

Sex Selection of Children explores the strategies used to control the sex of children, the conditions under which a couple would employ a given technique, and the technology to… Read more

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Sex Selection of Children explores the strategies used to control the sex of children, the conditions under which a couple would employ a given technique, and the technology to achieve their desired family composition. It also considers the social consequences of sex-selection techniques, the legal factors that might impinge on the use of such a technology, and the ethical considerations associated with its use. Organized into 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of some of the more humorous past approaches to sex selection. It then discusses the effects of sex selection on fertility, sex selection by means of amniocentesis and selective abortion, and the theorized link between the timing of fertilization and the sex ratio of offspring. A chapter considers a decision-making model that describes the use of sex-selection techniques by couples who wish to have a specific number of children over their entire childbearing period, while another chapter analyzes the economics of sex preference and selection. The remaining chapters address the parental preferences about the sexes of their offspring in different societies, the legal aspects of prenatal sex selection, a moral policy for sex choice, and the ethics and public policy on sex choice. This book is a valuable resource for specialists involved in fields ranging from sociology and economics to biology, public health, law, and ethics.

Contributors Foreword Preface1 Sex Selection of Children: An Overview Historical Overview Current Research and an Overview of the Chapters References 2 Measuring Sex Preferences and Their Effects on Fertility Introduction Potential Effects of Sex Selection Examples of the Potential Effects of Sex Selection A Decision-Making Model for Sex Preferences Considering Measures of Sex Preferences Unresolved Issues References3 Sex Selection through Amniocentesis and Selective Abortion Introduction Assumptions Birth Trial Probabilities Family Composition with No Sex Selection Sex Selection for Sequential Family Goals Sex Selection for Compositional Family Goals Discussion Summary Appendix References 4 Timing of Fertilization and the Sex Ratio of Offspring Introduction Earlier Direct Data More Recent Direct Data Other Mammalian Data Sex Ratio and Spontaneous Abortion Indirect Data Discussion Summary Appendix References 5 Decision Making and Sex Selection with Biased Technologies Introduction The Decision-Making Model Discussion References 6 The Economics of Sex Preference and Sex Selection Introduction Review of the Economic Approach A Model of Sequential Fertility Summary, Conclusions, and Suggestions for Further Research References 7 Parental Sex Preferences and Sex Selection Introduction Patterns of Parental Sex Preferences Barriers to the Use of Sex Selection Impact of Sex Selection on Society and the Family References 8 Legal Aspects of Prenatal Sex Selection Introduction Conceptual Foundation for the Legal Analysis of Sex Selection Legal Issues Analysis of Current Law Legal Trends References 9 Toward a Moral Policy for Sex Choice Background Moral Dimensions of Sex Choice Policy for Sex Choice A Final Word References10 Ethics and Public Policy: Should Sex Choice Be Discouraged? Introduction Moral Policy in Sexuality and Reproduction Consequences of Freedom with Fairness in Sex Choice Ethics, Public Policy, and the Future of Sex Choice References Index