History

• Drawings from the earliest time in history indicate that gender selection has always been a concern. From bioethics.gov: "In ancient Greece, it was believed that if men had sex while on their right side a boy would result, and in eighteenth-century France, it was believed that if men tied off their left testicle this would result in a baby boy." Theories about timing and position during conception have scientifically evolved into today's effective results.
  
  

Significance

• Ethical concerns involving eugenics are part of the overall equation when looking at the pros and cons of gender selection. Answers.com defines eugenics as "the study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding." Gender selection is but one factor involved in eugenics, but it's one that can significantly affect our society. Reasononline.com states: "One concern is that the sex selection techniques could lead to a wildly skewed number of males and females in society, resulting in a lot of unhappiness and social unrest." The ratio of girls to boys has already diminished in China, where abortion can be used as a gender selection tool.
  
  

Benefits

• Hereditary medical concerns and genetic disorders relating specifically to gender are valid, positive reasons for gender selection. Choosing to have a boy rather than to risk a daughter with a strong predilection for breast cancer is a basis to be in favor of gender selection. "Family balancing" is a term being used in the world of gender selection. For families with three sons, the desire to have a daughter may be their only incentive to increase their family.
  
  

Considerations

• The negative aspects of this new power of choice are primarily ethical and should not be ignored. Where do we stop when it comes to fertility manipulation? The acceptance of gender selection could be a steppingstone to "designer" children, giving new meaning to the phrase sex discrimination.
  
  

Effects

• The pros and cons of gender selection are issues relevant to all of us; the effect on generations to come rests on the decisions we make today. Until recently, gender selection was only available to couples already undergoing fertility treatments. With the success of the PGD method, a growing number of fertility clinics are opening this procedure to everyone. Financial considerations and accessibility are the only barriers facing couples who wish to expressly plan their families. As medical technology advances further, selecting the gender of your child may become even easier.