abbasi

Should Couples Have the Right to Choose the Sex of Their Children?NO: 

Should Couples Have the Right to Choose the Sex of Their Children? NO Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi University of Tehran Prepared for the 2005 IUSSP Conference, Tours, Session 151 

Shavaz Fort, around 1000 A.D.: 

Shavaz Fort, around 1000 A.D.

Historical perspectives on sex preference : 

Historical perspectives on sex preference Girl infanticide is evident in Pre-Islamic Arab societies Bias towards boy children can be found in China and India Prejudice against girl children is prevalent in some contemporary societies

Implications of sex preference: 

Implications of sex preference Sex imbalance Marriage squeeze Unsafe abortion

Sex ratio at birth by birth order in China, 1982-1988 : 

Sex ratio at birth by birth order in China, 1982-1988

Marriage squeeze: 

Marriage squeeze The reduced number of girls relative to boys in China will have society-wide effects in the future (Gillis 1995). Marriage squeeze could be solved in two ways: Finding spouses from other societies Celibacy and related social problems

Unsafe Abortion and mother’s health: 

Unsafe Abortion and mother’s health Abortion can have health problems for mothers When an unwanted sex is born, infanticide will be the resulting problem

Sex selection: An expression of sexism: 

Sex selection: An expression of sexism Pre-conceptive sex selection represents sexism in its purest form A child's worth is based in large part upon its sex.

Do the ends justify the means?: 

Do the ends justify the means? Abortion Cloning Gene technology

Slippery-slope argument : 

Slippery-slope argument Opening the door for selection on all kinds of characteristics ie. hair color, eye color, athletic ability, height, intelligence, ... First step to 'designer children'

Designed by: Pierre Cardin!: 

Designed by: Pierre Cardin!

Psychological impacts of sex selection on children: 

Psychological impacts of sex selection on children Attitude of the selected child towards gender Sex selection limits the variety of sibling sets ِِِِAbsence of diversity likely to be unhealthy for children's development.

Whose right is concerned? : 

Whose right is concerned? Whose rights prevail: child’s, parent’s or the community? Sex selection primarily benefits parents rather than the child. Who are we to say that if we have a boy (or girl) the world would be better as a whole in the future?

Sex selection = Absence of world’s greatest people!: 

Sex selection = Absence of world’s greatest people! Marie Curie: The last of five children, three girls and two boys Pierre Curie: 2nd son of the family Pope John Paul II: 2nd son of the family Alexander Graham Bell: from a family with two other sons Some members of the panel today!!!

Is sex selection a fundamental right? : 

Is sex selection a fundamental right? Supporters of the preconception sex-selection would see this as a fundamental right for women. At face value the argument has merit. Many advocates of women's rights convincingly argue that what is at issue is the female child's fundamental right: the right to exist and be born in the first place. Pre-conception sex selection violates this fundamental right, just as much as do the killing of newborn a baby girl or aborting a female fetus (Chander 2004: 469)

What are we trying to achieve? : 

What are we trying to achieve? This level of control over childbearing is likely to lead to very low fertility. Parents may get what they want, but will society get what it wants?

Conclusion: 

Conclusion Sex-selection right? NOT for non-medical reasons Why? Because this will raise serious moral, legal and social issues.

NO!: 

NO!