Do you believe people should work on ways to up to the odds of giving birth to a certain

gender? Why or why not? Do you think you will/would take advantage of this if the
technology were made readily available and why? Provide support for your theory?

I don’t think people should work on ways to increase gender selection. A child is not
meant to be (genetically) who you want him or her to be; it is who he or she is supposed
to be. The natural outcome of a child is partially what defines who the child is. Also, it
should not matter whether or not the child is male or female because what is really
important is that he or she is the creation from two people who (ideally) want to pass on
the gift of life. Having a boy or girl should not matter, what should matter is that the
child is a living person and should be accepted for who he or she is. If people were
meant to have a certain gender of child, they will. Another argument is that the genetics
of a child are not the only thing that makes a child who they are, but how they are
brought up is also a factor. Ultimately, it should not matter whether the child is a boy or
girl, only that they are a person and should be treated as such.

I do not think I would take advantage of this technology if it were made readily available.
I believe a lot in fate, and also that everything happens for a reason. Having a child is
one of the miracles of life and gender should not be an issue. One should be grateful for
having a child because there are people who cannot have a child. I believe that new
problems may arise if we attempt to “play God” as it were. Everything has a
consequence, whether positive or negative, and I believe that attempting to choose the
gender of a child would bring more negative consequences than positive ones.

What are your thoughts about (three part question/answer) artificial insemination, vitro
fertilization, and surrogate mothers?

I believe that artificial insemination is a positive thing. It allows people who really
WANT to have a child to have one. Even though I believe things happen for a reason
and it is not our job to tamper with fate, I must argue for artificial insemination. There
are many births that occur for people who do not want a child and then the child is the
one who suffers. If there is a way to help people who really want to have children to do
so, then they should take the opportunity. However, I feel that it is really the best
situation if the father’s sperm is used. I feel that if a donor is used, there may be
psychological consequences for the father in the future. If the father cannot supply the
sperm, I believe adoption would be a better route because it can save a born child’s life
and neither parent would have genetic influence instead of one parent contributing and
not the other.

I also see positives with in vitro fertilization. Again, this is in the sense that both of the
parents are contributing to the child. If there is a physical problem where the sperm
cannot reach the egg, then “kick starting” the process is acceptable. However, I do see
more consequences with this in the fact that if there are physical problems with the
mother, then the baby may not be able to grow properly during the prenatal period.
Proper precautions should be taken if this is the method that is chosen.
I have mixed feelings about the concept of surrogate mothers. I think at this point, it
would be better for parents to adopt a child than to involve a third person in the process.
The surrogate mother will inevitably develop psychological feelings for the child they are
caring and that person may have issues giving the child up. There would be too many
negative consequences that could occur from this method that could drastically harm
people’s lives. At the same time, I can understand that parents may really want to have a
child that they have brought into the world and have a part of them, but the mother just
cannot carry the child. I do not know what I would do in this situation, but of the three
methods discussed, this would be at the bottom of my list.