Posted on 05/11/2007 11:33:21 AM PDT by bedolido
A DNA mail order kit that checks the sex of an unborn child at just six weeks is under investigation after concerns it will lead to couples terminating unwanted children.
The do-it-yourself home test can be ordered over the internet and shipped to Australia for less than $500.
But the futuristic "pink or blue" kit has sparked an uproar among ethicists and anti-abortionists, who fear it will be used as a "sex select" tool.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
I can't imagine any other purpose for which it could be used. If there is one, somebody please enlighten me!
Where's the uproar over ultra-sound being used in India?
Well, it would give the parents an early start on decorating the nursery, buying clothes and toys, notifying relatives as to what kind of clothes and toys to buy, and picking names.
Attention all feminists - the unwanted children being aborted because they are the “wrong” gender are usually females. I remember in the 1980’s when people aborting females in India was in the news. I predicted then that 20 years later there would be a huge shortage of brides for the males. Now that story is in the news. I guess the bottom line is that males need females and if you abort all the girls the population rate drops drastically and the males become violent and pissed off.
6 weeks into a pregnancy leaves you plenty of time to shop for the gender appropriate items needed.
No doubt some will abuse this for abortions, but those folks can get and would do it anyway, just at a later date.
I would venture that the overwhelming majority of users won't be of the abortion using types.
See China today.
What people do about having babies is none of my business. When they want me to pay for it, it becomes my business.
Actually they could get it at the same date by visiting a doctor for testing. And I very much doubt that this mail-order kit is very accurate. The only way to get a reliable genetic test at this stage is chorionic villi smapling, which is most certainly not something that can be done at home. If someone was really planning to abort based on gender, I’m sure they’d spring the extra bucks for a reliable test.
I’m not sure of their accuracy yet, but its safe to say, that if its anything less then 99% (their claim), they will be flooded with lawsuits. At first, I thought that you had to mail them the blood sample and they gave you the results online, now I am not sure if you actually use this equipment yourself and get instant results.
It doesn't take 9 months to obtain gender appropriate clothes, paint a nursery or chose a name for a child. I agree with those who believe the only *real* purpose is either satisfying someone's insatiable curiosity or gender-selective abortion.
Doesn’t matter either way. A blood sample from the mother will not provide a remotely reliable way to detect the gender of the fetus. Chorionic villi sampling is the only reliable method at this stage, and it involves taking a tiny sample from the fetal side of the placenta (not just any part of the placenta). Absolutely not a do-it-yourself-at-home job, even for a medical doctor.
http://www.pregnancy-info.net/chronic_villus_sampling.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.