Upsetting the balance on sex selection
Upsetting the balance on sex selection
It is widely assumed that the strongest case for permitting non-medical sex selection is where parents aim at family balance. This piece criticises one representative attempt to justify sex selection for family balance. Kluge (2007) assumes that some couples may seek sex selection because they hold discriminatory values, but this need not impugn those who merely have preferences, without evaluative commitments, for a particular sex. This is disputed by those who see any sex selection as inherently sexist, because it upholds stereotypes about the sexes. This article takes an alternative approach. I argue that, even if we accept that preference-based selection is unobjectionable, a policy permitting selection for family balancing does a poor job of distinguishing between value-based and preference-based selection. If we wish to permit only preference-based sex selection, we should seek to identify parents’ motives. If we wish to justify a family balancing policy, other arguments are needed.
Eike-Henner Kluge; Family balance; Gender; Procreation; Reproductive liberty; Sex selection.
Saunders, Ben
aed7ba9f-f519-4bbf-a554-db25b684037d
Saunders, Ben
aed7ba9f-f519-4bbf-a554-db25b684037d
Abstract
It is widely assumed that the strongest case for permitting non-medical sex selection is where parents aim at family balance. This piece criticises one representative attempt to justify sex selection for family balance. Kluge (2007) assumes that some couples may seek sex selection because they hold discriminatory values, but this need not impugn those who merely have preferences, without evaluative commitments, for a particular sex. This is disputed by those who see any sex selection as inherently sexist, because it upholds stereotypes about the sexes. This article takes an alternative approach. I argue that, even if we accept that preference-based selection is unobjectionable, a policy permitting selection for family balancing does a poor job of distinguishing between value-based and preference-based selection. If we wish to permit only preference-based sex selection, we should seek to identify parents’ motives. If we wish to justify a family balancing policy, other arguments are needed.
Text
BIO FINAL balancing
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 1 May 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 July 2019
Additional Information:
Ben Saunders is Associate Professor in Politics And International Relations, University of Southampton. His research interests include democratic theory, the thought of John Stuart Mill, and various issues in practical ethics. He has published in numerous journals, including Ethics, Mind, and Utilitas.
Keywords:
Eike-Henner Kluge; Family balance; Gender; Procreation; Reproductive liberty; Sex selection.
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 430767
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/430767
ISSN: 0269-9702
PURE UUID: 6ac57c8f-5546-4e69-8155-55316a148f28
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 10 May 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 07:50
Export record
Altmetrics
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
