Parents sue over the sex of their baby.

Parents sue over the sex of their baby.

www.news.com.au

THE words new mother Fiona least expected or wanted to hear when she gave birth were: "It's a boy."

The 30-year-old and her husband Paul used IVF with the specific aim of producing a daughter and expected a girl for the entire pregnancy.

A family history of an incurable blood disorder, which strikes only males, was behind their decision to opt for the controversial sex selection procedure.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It makes for difficult reading, and one can certainly understand why the parents wanted a girl however this case definitely raises some interesting questions.

Are we getting too involved and manipulating the natural process of child birth to a point where we will soon be able to choose all of our child's traits and looks? Where does this stop and at what point do we risk losing the wonderful differences between us that make humans so interesting?

I am neither for or against, just curious to hear what people have to say.

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm wondering if the baby will have latent physical gender identity issues as a result of the meddling.

Not really, since it is not as if the sex was deliberately modified post-birth. The thing that concerns me is that there is no possible way the doctors involved did not know this was a boy. Genitalia and other signs are visible by 6 months, at the most.

There is no way, then, that the practitioners involved did not know the sex of the child. Given the very valid medical reasoning behind wanting to try for a girl without just chucking male fetus's in the trash, they should at least be able to get a hefty Medical Malpractice judgment against those involved.

I agree. I don't think the ones who did the implanting are to blame - it's really hard to tell 'em apart at that stage. But two ultrasounds... Yeah. They should have known and told the propective parents.

Don't play God. That's my opinion.

And for those who are squeamish about the word 'God' - DON'T DESTROY NATURE.

The natural process of sex selection is determined by the hormones present in the mother. This is where all the wives-tales of eating certain foods comes from...

If you force a fetus to develop as a certain sex when the hormones of the mother are calling for something different? Who's going to tell you the consequence? The doctors selling you the operation? Hardly.

The idea of meddling with genetics isn't just a religious issue... it is seriously out of balance with natural order. I am not the least bit surprised that this operation failed for the respective parents in this article.

Originally posted by D.E.M.
There is no way, then, that the practitioners involved did not know the sex of the child. Given the very valid medical reasoning behind wanting to try for a girl without just chucking male fetus's in the trash, they should at least be able to get a hefty Medical Malpractice judgment against those involved.

OK I am sorry but this is ridiculous. I agree with the OP, have we gotten to the point that we now think we can demand and alter something like child birth. Also knowing that doctors CANNOT create the sex you want like the baby is a subway hoagie...they now feel intitled to money????? This is sad...and no wonder people can't afford healthcare...sue happy idiots!

Originally posted by NewWorldOver
Don't play God. That's my opinion.

And for those who are squeamish about the word 'God' - DON'T DESTROY NATURE.

Agreed...very true. And to add to your point NWO...what if the docs DID do something to make sure this was a female and then the FEMALE baby comes out all screwed up....now who is to blame. I already know my answer..lol..

the problem as i see it is that they were told that sex selection procedure was feasable, i mean thats like saying"oh yeah it will be a girl i garuntee it" i mean when you make the claim you can select the sex then you either have to live up to said claim or be able to be held responsible legaly. personaly i dont like sex selection or any form of alteration being done in that fashion. but they were told that they could select the sex and that promise was not upheald and they had sonograhms and were still not told of the sex of the child till birth. its a sad situation truely. but thats what you get for putting your faith in to the hands of doctor.

rcwj75, NewWorldOver: Can you even come close to realizing the horror that having a severely hemophilic child would be? Can you even consider the ramifications of having to care and tend to a person that ill for their entire life? Can you honestly condemn a soul to a lifetime of slow torture when there was a medical alternative?

I'm sorry, but medicine isn't just to get rid of your colds, it is there to PREVENT problems like this from happening. Can you look beyond your close-minded bias for a moment and consider that by not attempting this procedure, they would have been morally destitute enough to willingly condone their child to the things above?

This was not rampantly genetically modifying a child to get a "designer baby" for looks and intelligence. This was trying to prevent a very established and horrible medical condition from manifesting itself in their child. Anyone who is blind enough to dismiss it as simple "meddling" really has no compassion in the slightest.

[edit on 22-3-2008 by D.E.M.]

Originally posted by D.E.M.
This was not rampantly genetically modifying a child to get a "designer baby" for looks and intelligence. This was trying to prevent a very established and horrible medical condition from manifesting itself in their child.

I understand that. But the medical procedure is un-natural. It did not work and it is not meant to work... for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Sex of the baby must be determined by the hormones of the mother.

We are always fighting against nature, especially with medical crisis. But if you ask me, we should not be taking this fight to the mothers womb.

Originally posted by D.E.M.
Can you look beyond your close-minded bias for a moment and consider that by not attempting this procedure, they would have been morally destitute enough to willingly condone their child to the things above?

Well my closed mind would be smart enough to not take chances that may cost a child his/her life and I wouldn't be selfish enough to take a chance knowing IF we have a boy he will go through life in pain. Knowing you CAN'T have a boy, got a 50% chance of having a girl, and knowing even then your situation may destory any child you have...why have one? Instead I would have taken the hand GOD delt me and adopted a healthy young baby and been a good parent instead of thinking about myself so much!

Instead they want to toy with the course designed for procreation and now what? Yeah we know what lies ahead and a truly INNOCENT boy will suffer...

Why not the womb? Taking the fight against disorders to the womb is the most logical step. Anything afterwards is merely prevention, not a cure, in regards to genetic disorders. If you were an embryo, knowing that a little poke would mean that you would be born healthy and fine instead of bleeding to death the first time you fell off a ladder, what would you want to happen?

Would you want some people afraid of change saying that you couldn't be healthy like everyone else?

EDIT: I do not advocate designer babies, i am just sick of people saying that nothing should be cured just because it "Violates" nature. Plenty of things in society "Violate" nature, but you enjoy them just the same. Life is sacred, and thus we should do everything we can to make sure that that life is protected from Harm, even harm caused by "Nature".

[edit on 22-3-2008 by D.E.M.]

Originally posted by rcwj75
Instead they want to toy with the course designed for procreation and now what? Yeah we know what lies ahead and a truly INNOCENT boy will suffer...

A truly innocent boy would have suffered if they had not tried, but now they have it on their conscience that they at least tried to AVERT that suffering.

The people that will have to lay awake at night, are those that deliberately did not tell the parents that their child was a boy, and thus prevented testing to see if he had this condition prior to his birth. Had that happened, they would have been slightly more prepared to deal with this.

reply to post by D.E.M.


Its not being afraid of change or the chance to correct something if we can...its the idea that now we expect MIRACLES...and we will expect them everytime...and when they don't happen then what. More babies get murdered because MOM isnt satisifed, or more doctors/hospitals lose millions (not to mention people paying healthcare) because we CAN'T give them perfection? I hope you understand my argument...its not bashing you...I understand your idea..and I'm with you if its something routine or something EASILY done to help the mother/child...but when we start trying stuff that is classified as "maybe we can" we need to slow down.

Originally posted by D.E.M.
The people that will have to lay awake at night, are those that deliberately did not tell the parents that their child was a boy, and thus prevented testing to see if he had this condition prior to his birth. Had that happened, they would have been slightly more prepared to deal with this.

See I can't get on board with that,....these parents KNOWING they had this medical history that WILL cause problems in a child should of adopted. I'm sorry but when you KNOW you have a condition that has this kind of affect....adoption should be your answer. No way I could lay awake at night if I were these parents knowing we forced an issue that could of easily been settled by not having a baby of our own.

[edit on 3/22/2008 by rcwj75]

When they cured TB, it was a "Maybe we can".

When they created the Polio Vaccine, it was a "Maybe we can".

When they made the first phone call, it was a "Maybe we can".

They weren't expecting a miracle, that would have been not trying anything at all and letting nature take its course.

The topic, however, is not that they tried and it failed. But that they tried, it failed, and the doctors subsequently hid it for 4-6 months and did not tell them.

This type of stuff is just the natural evolution of natural selection. We select our mates usually based on genetic variables, although often subconsciously recognized, because of the desire to see those traits passed on to our offspring. Now that technology offers it, we naturally gravitate towards the ability to ensure those traits are passed or more importantly, that others are not.

I fully intend to do everything science makes possible to have a female child. There exists a genetic disorder on my mother's side that affects males. My uncle died barely 20 after living an agonizing life which destroyed his parents marriage. I never knew him. There was great concern that I would inherit this disorder through my mother. Fortunately I did not, but I am concerned that if I have a male child, he will. If there's anything I can do to either ensure I don't father a boy, or even better can screen for the active gene in time to abort, I'll do it.

Sucks that it didn't work out for this couple. But I'm guessing there's a "no guarantee" clause somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time doctors missed the gender. If the boys don't drop by the time the pictures are taken it's easy to get confused.

reply to post by apc


APC...so KNOWING it MAY affect your child if it is a son, your willing to have your wife poked and proded and put through all sorts of stuff to "make sure" its a female, with NO promises that the female will then come out ok? Why not just adopt a female baby and NOT take a chance with science and all the unknowns.....

I guess I just can't wrap my head around KNOWINGLY taking chances with the life of my child and the health/welfare of my wife...they mean more to me then the NEED to have my own...I would rather adopt and skip all the medical stuff that could destroy my family.

EDIT TO ADD: and NOOOO I don't run an adoption agency so I am not pushing the adoption agenda for my own personal gain...

I just would rather see a parentless baby get adopted then fetus after fetus aborted, or child after child suffering because of people "trying" to get the right one.

[edit on 3/22/2008 by rcwj75]

... it would be her decision too. Women aren't property yah know.

If for whatever reason I am unable to father a child I will adopt. But otherwise my demon spawn having my blood is important to me. Call me old fashioned.