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From: taylor@hplabsc.UUCP (Dave Taylor)
Newsgroups: mod.comp-soc
Subject: Re: Selecting the sex...
Message-ID: <703@hplabsc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-Oct-86 11:58:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabsc.703
Posted: Thu Oct  2 11:58:46 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 3-Oct-86 08:00:07 EDT
Reply-To: decvax!decuac!aplcen!osiris!jcp
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
Lines: 24
Approved: taylor@hplabs
Reference: <693@hplabsc.UUCP>

This article is from decvax!osiris!jcp 
 and was received on Thu Oct  2 08:04:37 1986
 
	My understanding is that the product is actually more of a 'system'
which depends on the same factors that have been understood for years -
cervical mucous, pH of the vagina, etc. It is not nearly as reliable as
its developer claims.

	The arguments against being able to enhance the chances of conceiving
a child of a particular sex as opposed to the other sex have also been used
against amnios and ultrasound. The fear is that parents who want a baby of
a particular sex will have an abortion if they discover the fetus is of the
opposite or "wrong" sex. Unfortunately, many more people seem to be interested
in having boys than girls. It is also true that the sex-selection methods
that are available (sperm filters, etc) favor those sperm carrying the Y
chromosome over those carrying the X chromosome. Some people fear that this
will lead to further devaluation of women in society.

	(For those who are unaware how this works, all the sex selection
methods depend on the fact that Y-bearing sperm are small and quick-
moving but fairly fragile, whereas X-bearing sperm are large and slow but
fairly hardy. Thus an acid environment favors Y-bearers and an alkaline
environment favors X-bearers. Y-bearers will slip through filters which
will "weed out" X-bearers.)