Designing A Daughter

Usually when we hear the term “sex selection” we think of the preference for little boys that has created a problematic gender imbalance in certain countries.

But sex selection is happening in places other than China and India. One American couple wanted a girl so bad that they were willing to take out a loan against their home so they could get $24,000 for an expensive IVF procedure ensuring they would have a baby girl.

Heather Anspach and her husband already have two boys and one girl so they felt that another girl would make their family complete. “It’s fantastic having boys, and I love mine more than anything, but that doesn’t stop you also wanting a girl,” she said.

It’s one thing to dream about your family and say things like, “I want two kids, a boy and a girl,” or “I hope I have two boys,” but when the time comes, most of us relinquish control and leave it up to nature. In the end, the most we wish for is a healthy family.

“I know many people are against gender selection but I feel it should be a personal choice,” she said in response to questions about the ethics of such practices. “People are entitled to their opinion but it’s our life and our family.“

Clearly, there is some truth to this. She was willing to pay for the costly procedure and it’s not like she was aborting her baby girls in favour of boys. Her purpose was to have a well-rounded family unit and she wouldn’t have gone so far as selecting specific characteristics such as eye colour, IQ or hair colour.

But it’s a slippery slope and if choosing the sex is an option, there’s a real possibility that we will be able to take it to further extremes in the future. We need to be careful or this could go too far.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com