Gender selection: a crime against humanity or the exercise of a fundamental right?

To contribute to the debate on gender selection this paper considers several kinds of possible indications: 1) prevention of X chromosome-linked diseases; 2) family balancing; and 3) free choice. Gender selection for the prevention of X-linked diseases constitutes three choices. These include pre-natal diagnosis pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and pre-fertilization gender selection. At any rate and certainly for those who do not consider the zygote as a human being the choice of the means employed to avoid the occurrence of sex-linked diseases is a matter of free personal choice of the parents. The reason of family balancing for gender selection is a diplomatic precaution to make it easier to accept the principle of free choice of the childs gender by the couple concerned. Finally the lawfulness of a medico-social attitude for example pre-conception selection of gender seems to be a matter of personal ethical considerations of the couple and the practitioner.