More Parents Using Sperm Sorting Technique to Have Daughters

[marmar]

from Women's e-News, via AlterNet:


More Parents Using Sperm Sorting Technique to Have Daughters

By Alison Bowen, Women's eNews. Posted September 5, 2007.


Fertility technology is allowing parents to determine the sex of a child before it's conceived. Ethicists say the practice is on slippery ground.


Leslie Jordan just wanted to dress up a dainty, delicate baby girl. But after giving birth to four sons, she was well established as a "boy mom" and playing kickball outside.

When Jordan married her husband about 10 years ago, they had a playful agreement to have four children; she wanted all four to be daughters. When she became pregnant, the ultrasound revealed their first son, Christian.

"I was thrilled when I saw him on the monitor," she said. "I didn't care what kind of package he came with. I was having a baby, and that's all I cared about."

Three similar ultrasounds later, and three failed attempts at folk remedies to conceive a girl including wearing tight underwear, taking Sudafed and tracking ovulation, the Jordans had their four children. She and her husband decided to try one more time, but didn't leave it to nature.

Jordan used a pre-conception sperm-sorting method and in vitro fertilization, which offered her an 85 percent chance of conceiving a girl. The procedure cost about $5,000, after insurance, which covered the in vitro and she became pregnant on the first try with Natalie, now a year old.

The Microsort method of sperm sorting, which uses a dye to separate male and female sperm before fertilization, and a second high-tech method called PGD -- or preimplantation genetic diagnosis -- which identifies the sex of embryos in the test tube before they are implanted in the womb, are drawing parents in to fertility clinics, where costs can rise up to $18,000 per cycle. ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/61624/

[Lasher]

1. This would sell bigtime in China if the cost were lower.

[MuseRider]

2. After insurance?

Their insurance covered this?

She had 4 children already so she could conceive. This was a choice procedure, and not even for a child but to assure a certain kind of child. Hmmmm.

I worry about this kind of thing a little but it is not my decision to make but when so many can't afford insurance and some insurance does not even cover normal GYN needs I find this a little odd and worrisome.

I certainly will not judge the parents although I have some very personal and troubling thoughts about this but the insurance company? I guess I just don't get it in a time when most companies are looking to get out of regular need payments.

[Sadie4629]

4. Coverage is not arbitrary

An insurance policy spells out what is covered, and what isn't. Chances are that a policy that is so comprehensive that it covers this kind of procedure is very pricey, and someone is paying a hefty premium for it.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Take what God or fate gives you, and be happy. I will never understand trying

to "order up" a specific type of baby. There are so many broken-hearted parents who can't HAVE children at all (and may not have insurance coverage to help them, like these folks), this seems like such a waste of resources to me.

[kimmylavin]

5. Oh, for Christ's sake!

Then ADOPT a child.
They come "ready made".