Características Generales

Family balancing is argued as a justified reason for sex selection, yet with the condition that the wish of the parents is ‘neutral’, i.e. not based on discriminatory reasons. The potential risk identified in literature is that family balancing may lead to the conception of an ‘ideal type’ of a family, and hence restricts other types of family structure. This is acknowledged in social conversations as well: a brother- or sisterbond can be very valuable, and hence is a focus on ‘balancing’ the sexes is shortsighted. Arguing further from imagination, one can imagine the situation where social pressure arises to balance your family, or when an unbalanced family is seen as discriminatory behavior of the parents. Hence, sex-selection technologies tend to amplify an ideal type of family structure, whereas other valuable family-structures are reduced.

What the technology ‘does’ (or 'can do') Type of mediation (amplification/diminishing of perception

or invitation/inhibition of action)

Source Dimension

The composition of the family is no longer a situation of fate but a situation of choice

Amplification: The composition of a family is the result of

specific choices of the parents Literature

Ex ist en tio n / Per cep tio n

There is something as a ‘perfect family’ Amplification: The wish of the parents is not value-free, i.e.

based on discrimination of sex Literature Technology should be used to balance families

in terms of sex ratio

What the technology ‘does’ (or 'can do') Type of mediation (amplification/diminishing of perception or invitation/inhibition of action)

Source Dimension

The composition of the family is no longer a situation of fate but a situation of choice

Amplification: There is a ‘normal’ or ‘perfect’ composition of

a family in terms of sex distribution Literature The composition of the family is no longer a

situation of fate but a situation of choice

Amplification: The composition of a family in terms of sex

distribution is a matter of freedom/choice.

Social practices and deliberations The composition of the family is no longer a

situation of fate but a situation of choice

Amplification: The composition of a family in terms of sex

distribution is a matter of responsibility or even accountability

Social practices and deliberations

There is something as a ‘perfect family’ Amplification: The idea that if there is a perfect or balanced

family, we should strive for it Social practices and deliberations There is something as a ‘perfect family’ Amplification: The idea that the technology should (only) be

used to come to a balanced family Social practices and deliberations Technology should be used to balance families

in terms of sex ratio

Amplification: The idea that sex-selection technology should

be used to come to a ‘balanced society’ in terms of sex distribution

Social practices and deliberations

The technology makes the family composition in terms of sex distribution controllable

Amplification: An unbalanced family might be the result of

sex discrimination Reason / Imagination The technology makes the family composition

in terms of sex distribution controllable

Reduction: The idea that there are a multiple of different

family compositions that are ‘normal’ or ‘good’. Literature Reduce the idea that other compositions of

the family are just as valuable

Reduction: The idea that an imbalanced family (e.g. more

boys or girls) has its own advantages / is just as valuable Social practices and deliberations

The composition of the family is no longer a situation of fate but a situation of choice

Reduction: The idea that parents might ‘choose’ for an

imbalanced family. Reason / Imagination There is something as a perfect family

composition

Reduction: The idea that a balance of the sexes is irrelevant. Social practices and

deliberations There is something as a perfect family

composition

Invitation: Selecting the opposite sex when one sex is

dominant in the family. Literature / Social practices and deliberations He rm en eu tic al / A cti on

The composition of the family is no longer a situation of fate but a situation of choice

Invitation: Selecting for the socially desired sex Literature

The composition of the family is no longer a situation of fate but a situation of choice

Invitation: Making sex selection a private act of the parents Reason /

Imagination The composition of the family is no longer a

situation of fate but a situation of choice

Invitation: Social pressure to balance your family Reason /

What the technology ‘does’ (or 'can do') Type of mediation (amplification/diminishing of perception or invitation/inhibition of action)

Source Dimension

The composition of the family is no longer a situation of fate but a situation of choice

Inhibition: The choice for the same sex if this sex is already

present in majority in the family Reason / Imagination The composition of the family is no longer a

situation of fate but a situation of choice

Inhibition: The decision to not make use of the technology

when your family is unbalanced Reason / Imagination Table 5b: Mediations of sex-selection technology regarding family structure