Build-a-baby workshops on the rise [preselection of baby's gender, eye color, etc]

OneNewsNow ^ | March 12, 2009 | Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

A California firm called Fertility Institutes is advertising gender selection for in vitro fertilization (IVF), claiming to be the first to offer tests to pre-determine eye, skin, and hair color.

LifeSiteNews.com reports on the rapidly growing trend of sex-selection abortion, an idea many have considered since IVF technology was forming in the 1970s. The Fertility Institute's advertisement guarantees a 100-percent success rate and reads as follows: "For the first time ever, patients having genetic screening for abnormal chromosome conditions in their embryos will be able to elect expanded testing that can greatly increase the odds of achieving a healthy pregnancy with a preselected choice of gender, eye color, hair color and complexion, along with screening for potentially lethal diseases, screening for cancer tendencies (breast, colon, pancreas, prostate) and more."

Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America calls it a form of prejudice. "People who select children based on their skin color and sex are not much different from societies that stigmatize adults based on their skin color and sex," she contends. "Will these parents reject a child who slips through with a flaw?"

Echoing her sentiments is a spokesperson for the Center of Genetics and Society who believes if the practice of sex-selective IVF becomes widespread, society could face new types of inequality and discrimination -- a world he says no one would want to inhabit. To which Wright adds: "These procedures lead us down a disturbing path away from civilization and back to barbarism."

According to LifeSiteNews.com, the Fertility Institute is performing nearly ten gender-selection procedures a week, at a cost of $18,400 each. Some states such as Missouri and Georgia are considering legislation dealing with the industry.

[musicbymuzak]

Hitler would be proud. I think the screening for cancers and other abnormalities is good, though.

[DeLaine]

I liked being surprised. I ended up with boys: one brown eyes, one green eyes, then blue eyes and the last hazel eyes (ok, so he’s adopted)
Such fun!

[Merlinator]

Can they return them for a refund or exchange if they aren’t 100% satisfied?/sarc

[wombtotomb]

Ah the next frontier. Our society is so enamored with choice we have taken to treating the miracle of life like selecting a new couch.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

LifeSiteNews.com reports on the rapidly growing trend of sex-selection abortion, an idea many have considered since IVF technology was forming in the 1970s.

This practice is widespread in China and India, though it is illegal in both countries. The result is going to be a decline in the populations of both nations (which increasing wealth is already taking care of). There are also theories that nations with large populations of men who can't find spouses will experience social unrest and be more belligerent toward neighboring countries.

[carmody]

Have they found the ‘gay’ gene yet? If not, rest assured they never will.

[MetaThought]

There’s a reasonable possibility that Gayness isn’t caused by a gene, but by exposure to female hormones in the womb.

[carmody]

Well, my point was that given the ability to choose gay or non gay children, I would guess 99% of couples will ‘choose’ non gay. And therefore, unless they find a way to force couples to ‘choose’ to ‘design’ gay children, it will remain a mystery.

Eventually, the government will probably ‘force’ parents to design ‘diverse’ families.

[tnlibertarian]

Two questions:
1) Can they make one that sleeps through the night?
2) If so, do they do alterations to ones already here?
Geez, I’m tired.