The Ethics of Sonography and Gendercide

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The constantly growing field of medical technology has raised many questions especially pertaining to ethics. The mapping of the human genome, cloning technologies, stem cell research, and of course reproductive technology has caused some very real dilemmas over the role of the human decision in the creation and orientation of new life. Humans are able to accomplish amazing things in science, but at what cost? The ubiquitous nature of reproductive technology has caused a new discipline of reproductive ethics. One such dilemma is that of selective abortion due to sex preference. In this paper I will discuss the ethics of gendercide and sonography’s affect on this practice

Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based on the predicted sex of the fetus. The selective abortion of female fetuses is most common in areas where cultural norms value male children over female children, especially in parts of Taiwan, Korea, China, and India. A 2005 study estimated that over 90 million females were "missing" from the expected population in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Taiwan alone, and suggested that sex-selective abortion plays a role in this deficit. India eliminates over half a million healthy girl fetuses annually, simply because of their gender.

Amniocentesis and ultrasound techniques are the most common ways for couples to determine the sex of the child before it is born. In the US, such tests are routine and not usually alarming, but in nations such as India and China those tests, and others, have become an issue of debate since the results could mean life or death. Until the 1980’s, people in poor countries could do little about their preference for sons before birth, ...

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...eptember 7, 2009) Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. Vol 4.

Taylor, J. Of sonograms and baby prams: prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy and consumption. (May 2000) Feminist Studies.

Ethics committee of the American Society for medicine. Preconception gender selection for nonmedical reasons.(May 5, 2001)

Promoting Ethical Ultrasound Use in India An Emerging Economy Case Study from GE (January 2009)

Hesketh, Therese. Gendercide: The worldwide war on baby girls. (March 4, 2010)

Lemoine, Kristi. GENDER DISCRIMINATION FUELS SEX SELECTIVE ABORTION. University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review. (Fall 2007)

Sex Selective Abortion. (2010). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

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