Parents can choose the gender of their baby pre conception how do you feel about this ATS?

I saw a piece on FOX news about this earlier and wanted to take in some of the opinions of the esteemed ATS community before finalizing my own conclusion about this controversial subject. I lean towards non approval BTW so what say you ATS?

Here is a link to one of the clinics that does this sort of procedure and it explains a little bit about the process.Child gender selection clinic

As of right now my main concern with this goes back some years to a thought I had when they first announced the mapping of DNA. That thought being that the concept of pre conception genetics manipulation would ultimately lead to a system where parents who could afford the process would pre select the genetic make up of their children.

Now this seems all fine and dandy on the surface but what happens when their is a class of children within a generation that are all genetically altered to the point of uncontested superiority in contrast to the people who were born the old fashioned way. You KNOW these procedures are not going to be affordable/available to the majority of the population. As if the quality of life gap between the upper and lower classes isn't already disparaging enough.

Oh and I almost forgot, how messed up would this scenario be...parents pre select gender, kid comes out, develops a bit, says hey I'm the wrong gender I should be this instead of that. How would the parents feel? like they tried to play god and failed? Maybe...?

Namaste

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

dont bother me one way or the other.
im not having anymore kids.

if so and so wants to choose their childs gender why not?

i know it could lead to this or that.
at the same time it might not lead to anything.

science/tech/medicine can do crazy stuff right now and it is only going to continue.

imo things like this can not be stopped

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

To me this is another step walking hand in hand with (Transhumanism)...lifeboat.com...

I agree with that, I just don't know if it will be good or bad, I'm kind of scared to grow old in the near future.

a reply to: caladonea

originally posted by: TrappedPrincess
I agree with that, I just don't know if it will be good or bad, I'm kind of scared to grow old in the near future.

a reply to: caladonea

I can see where parents who already have 2 sons and want a daughter or visa versa, but why isn't anyone asking the MORE serious question IMO, as to "Why does anyone even want to bring a child into this crazy ass world to begin with?".....

Just ramblings of a crazy ole man...........

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

I don't have a problem with it. Most people won't be doing it, ether because of cost or lack of desire. So, if a few people want to pick the gender, I don't foresee any problem. I'm sure if there are issues with it, the practice will fade away. It's not like we, in the US, "prefer" a certain gender, so it shouldn't skew the ratio of males to females.

a reply to: seeker1963

Exactly!

What about when it gets to the point of not only selecting gender but certain traits like height and intelligence?

That is more what I'm worried about the overall eventuality. You know what I'll be old as effuk or dead by the time it gets to that point so your right, I don't give a ship.


a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

I have a couple of reservations about this:

1 - We have mounting evidence pointing to transgender conditions being related to development in the womb but we are not sure what that means exactly. Until we do, genetically choosing a fetus's gender may interfere with what the child would have developed with normally and possibly cause the child to be transgender. As you know, it's no picnic and I'd rather spare as many people as possible from living through that. I totally believe we will figure it out but, for now, I'd like to see that risk ruled out before seeing something like this be commonplace and end up with 25% of a generation suffering from gender dysphoria.

2 - Some nations favor one gender over another and some of those nations are now having a hard time hooking up with one another because of gender demographic disparities. Maybe this could be offset by making the process cost more or less depending on the current gender mix of the baby population at a given time.


Also, I find it interesting that there is far more social acceptance when it comes to parents proactively changing their child's gender yet it's still considered abhorrent by most people for an individual to correct his or her own gender. It just illustrates how much people love to control each other.

All in all, I see this as an eventual future within a couple of decades and expect it to be commonplace. I fully embrace humanity taking a part in its own evolution (up to, and including, transhumanism) but I think we need to do it with careful and informed steps.

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

If we're only talking about selecting gender, i see no problem with that..a family that really wants one gender or another ought to be able to choose if the technology is there for them to do so.

But, it will be taken too far, like just about everything else..soon it will be eye colour, hair, skin tone, height, build, intelligence...and bingo, we have Gattica.

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

About 8 years ago this was an option for me and my ex wife. I remember the fertility clinic saying that we could choose if we wanted a boy or girl but the cost would be much greater and (there wasn't a guarantee) . The cost for the invetro was so high already we opted not to do it. Going off of memory.. There was a way they could test the embryo prior to implantation.

Side note : I swear they cloned me. My son looks exactly like me. It's kinda creepy when I compare his pics my pictures when I was his age.

I hope they make lots of women who grow up to find themselves attracted to older men.

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

I do not think it is as dangerous as it sounds. I think it's only a matter of determining the chromosome of the sperm, and fertilizing through in vitro. Both sexes are evolutionarily advantageous, so any reason for choosing is for aesthetic reasons, and thus vanity.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

I think it's only a matter of determining the chromosome of the sperm, and fertilizing through in vitro.

No. The determination is made after fertilization.

On the third day after the sperm fertilize the eggs, when embryos have developed into 6 to 8 cells, one of the cells is removed from the embryo, and its chromosomal makeup is analyzed. The removal of the cell at this stage does not have a significant negative effect on the embryo's growth competency. This chromosomal analysis allows us to determine whether the embryo is male or female. Then, only the embryos of the desired gender are transferred to the uterus to establish a pregnancy.

www.centerforhumanreprod.com...

The method you refer to is not FDA approved.

a reply to: Phage

Thanks for the memory jog. That's what they told us when they brought up the option to pick a gender.

You can do this with 80% or greater accuracy naturally. Has to do with pinpointing ovulation. The closer to ovulation, ie within 24 hours, has greater chance of male. Male sperm are fragile but swim fast. Female sperm live longer and if you time it 2-3 days before ovulation you have 80% female odds.

originally posted by: Unity_99
You can do this with 80% or greater accuracy naturally. Has to do with pinpointing ovulation. The closer to ovulation, ie within 24 hours, has greater chance of male. Male sperm are fragile but swim fast. Female sperm live longer and if you time it 2 days after ovulation you have 80% female odds.

yeah
and if the lady stands on her head after a romp that means its gonna be a boy
ha

a reply to: Mugly

Mine is a serious post. This has been known for years.

en.wikipedia.org...


The Shettles Method On Conceiving And Getting Pregnant With A Girl

a reply to: TrappedPrincess

I think it has frightening implications. Might as well add blue eyes and blond hair to the menu.

originally posted by: Mugly

originally posted by: Unity_99
You can do this with 80% or greater accuracy naturally. Has to do with pinpointing ovulation. The closer to ovulation, ie within 24 hours, has greater chance of male. Male sperm are fragile but swim fast. Female sperm live longer and if you time it 2 days after ovulation you have 80% female odds.

yeah
and if the lady stands on her head after a romp that means its gonna be a boy
ha

It's been around a while, I think it's called the Shettles Method or something similar. I know many people who used ovulation timing to get exactly the gender of their choice, without fail. Either it's one hell of a coinky-dink with over a dozen different families I know, or it's got some merit. Never used it myself, but suffice it to say it's still disputed after 50 years of use anyway.

ive heard of people saying the same thing about ovulation and gender i just didnt think it was true

hmmmm