Perspektiven der Geschlechtsselektion

Abstract

Since the introduction of prenatal diagnosis (PD) more than three decades ago, requests for PD for sex selection — in the absence of a sex-linked genetic condition — have become the subject of controversial discussion. Is selecting sex a logical and tolerable extension of a couple’s right to control the number and spacing of their offspring, or is it a first step toward the selection of preferred body traits? Is sex selection straining the limits of autonomy and are laws against sex selection needed? In nations with a deep-rooted preference for males, sex-selection — whether pre- or postnatal — poses a social threat, as steadily declining sex ratios of women to men in China and India indicate. In societies with equal preferences for boys and girls sex selection does not play a discernible role in PD and cannot be regarded as a social problem that needs to be addressed by restrictive laws. Empirical data on geneticists’ attitudes towards sex selection indicate that, although sex selection is a particularly troublesome issue for most geneticists, a substantial number, especially in Western countries, would either be willing to perform PD or to refer for sex selection on individually based grounds. Geneticists will probably not act as strict gatekeepers to inhibit the use of PD for sex selection even if they disapprove of it.