"Gattaca": the world has evolved in such a way that genetic manipulation to achieve a "perfect" child It is the norm. Those parents who decide not to follow her and have "normal" children are seen as eccentric. This science fiction movie is disturbing, and more if we think it is a probable future.
Now we are not talking about avoiding genetic defects to have "super-children", although we do select baby sex. And I know there is a great distance, but it doesn't stop worrying me. Assisted reproduction clinics want Spain to change its legislation and allow the use of techniques to decide if a boy or girl is to be conceived.
It is something that is already allowed in other countries, such as the United States, Mexico and Belgium (and they come couples from other backgrounds to make their choice), but in Spain a similar law has not yet succeeded. In the last attempt to reform the law, the Republican Esquerra de Catalunya party proposed an amendment requesting the selection of sex from the third child, but the request was rejected.
Now a clinic for the treatment of infertility in Barcelona will present a popular legislative initiative to authorize the free selection of baby sex. The initiative is supported by Anacer, the National Association of Assisted Reproduction Clinics (Anacer).
The reproduction center will present 500,000 accredited signatures of citizens at the Bureau of the Congress of Deputies. It will examine the documentation submitted and will decide within 15 days on its admissibility.
If the initiative is admitted, there will probably be debate and perhaps a referendum, and, if at the end of all the legal steps, this issue is approved, How would the sex of the baby be chosen? Let's look at the two scientifically possible and allowed options in other countries.
Preimplantation diagnosis reveals the sex of the baby
Choose the sex of the baby It is something that current assisted reproduction techniques make possible and that many people consider a valid option.
To choose the sex of the future child, a preimplantation genetic diagnosis must be made (after the hormonal stimulation of the woman and in vitro fertilization), a technique used to look for genetic abnormalities in the embryo that also allows to know if it is a boy or girl since DNA is studied.
This means that the couple has gone through a fertilization treatment in vitro, several embryos (called "pre-embryos") are created and the embryo or embryos that will be implanted in the womb are selected.
But the Spanish Law on assisted human reproduction (Law 14/2006, of May 26, on assisted human reproduction techniques) expressly prohibits this possibility and considers the selection of sex for non-therapeutic purposes to be a very serious infraction.
That is, the choice is only allowed when the condition of a sex-linked disease (color blindness, muscular dystrophy or hemophilia) can be prevented. This is stated in the law in Article 12:
The duly authorized centers may practice preimplantation diagnostic techniques for: a) The detection of serious hereditary diseases, of early appearance and not susceptible to postnatal curative treatment according to current scientific knowledge, in order to carry out embryonic selection of pre-embryos not affected for transfer. b) The detection of other alterations that may compromise the viability of the pre-embryo.
In Article 26 dedicated to infractions we have in section c.10, as very serious infractions "The selection of sex or genetic manipulation for non-therapeutic or non-authorized therapeutic purposes".
But, aside from these medical purposes, Is it ethical to choose the sex of your offspring on a whim? Will the choice respond to fashions, hobbies, what? Will we stop conceiving naturally to have the sons or daughters we want? What will be the next step? Babies a la carte? Blond, tall, smart, athletic ... We return to "Gattaca". I know I can sound catastrophic, but it is a possibility that really worries me.
Sperm separation to determine the sex of the baby
There is also another simpler option that does not require in vitro fertilization, although with worse results. Is about sperm separation by dye which indicates which ones have a male genetic load (most Y chromosomes) and which ones have a female (X).
Sperm containing X chromosomes have approximately 2% more DNA and are heavier, since they are larger than the Y chromosome. The sperm are isolated and stained with a dye that passes more or less when passing under a laser. : sperm with X chromosomes shine brighter, can be separated into two tubes and then the woman is inseminated with sperm conducive to father a boy or a girl.
However, some sperm can be misclassified, so it is not a 100% safe technique. In the United States, where this technique is allowed, the success rate is 90% for female births and 73% for male births.
In short, both are artificial options, expensive (more the first than the second) and that may have a certain demand, as in the case of families with several children of the same sex. Or the case of families of Chinese or Indian origin, who in the United States show preferences for men.
But, in the event that the initiative went ahead and the assisted reproduction law was reformed, it would have to be very clear about limits: Can anyone choose the sex of the future baby or will there be certain conditions? It is a complicated issue, no doubt, and surely not without controversy.
Perhaps in the future there is the possibility of choosing the sex of the baby, but for now, for the common of couples to predict the sex of the baby is a matter of luck. You can try to have a boy or girl following traditions such as the Chinese table, Maya, or the Baretta method ...
I don't know if the possibility of choosing the sex of the baby will take a long time or not, but what I am most sure of is that it will be possible, sooner or later. And, frivolizing a little, if we already fight for the name, I don't want to think about what family disputes will be with the theme of "boy or girl" ...
