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Acting parentally: an argument against sex selection.
1Mansfield College, Oxford OX1 3TF, UK. rosalind.mcdougall@mansfield.ox.ac.uk
Journal of Medical Ethics
|October 4, 2005
Summary
This study proposes a parental virtues approach to reproductive ethics, offering an alternative to harm-focused frameworks for sex selection. It argues against sex selection based on parental acceptance, suggesting limitations in harm-only ethical analyses.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Ethics
- Virtue Ethics
- Bioethics
Background:
- The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has issued restrictive recommendations on sex selection.
- Existing ethical frameworks, such as procreative liberty, primarily focus on harm, potentially overlooking other moral considerations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and explore a parental virtues approach as an alternative to harm-focused ethical frameworks for reproductive decisions.
- To formulate a virtue ethics argument against sex selection.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of ethical arguments concerning sex selection.
- Development of a virtue ethics framework centered on parental character traits.
- Critique of harm-focused approaches in reproductive ethics.
Main Results:
- A virtue ethics argument against sex selection is formulated, positing that acceptance is a key trait of a good parent.
- The argument identifies a moral wrong in sex selection that is distinct from harm.
Conclusions:
- Ethical approaches exclusively focused on harm are insufficient for capturing all relevant moral considerations in reproductive ethics.
- A parental virtues approach offers a valuable alternative perspective for evaluating practices like sex selection.
- While not justifying the HFEA's specific stance due to its procreative liberty commitment, the argument highlights the need to look beyond harm-centric ethical analyses.