Ethical Issues In The End Of Sex

In his book The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction, Hank Greely conceives of a future where sex is no longer the source for creating babies. Instead, babies will be created through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). While these procedures are seen as a solution for overcoming infertility and other reproductive barriers, these procedures also have ethical implications. The purpose of this essay is to explicate these ethical issues and to engage with Greely’s presentation. In doing so, I will summarize Greely’s presentation and envision what Greely’s work would look like through a feminist lens. At the onset of his presentation, Greely sets the stage, by disclaiming that “the end of sex” does

A woman’s or man’s decision to procreate is not made in a vacuum. The decision is made in the context of that individual’s personal life, the life of that individual’s partner (if there is a partner) and the wider societal context. Since reproductive autonomy expands beyond the parents, more discussion needs to focus on relational autonomy. Relational autonomy recognizes that an individual is free to make life goals and act upon these goals, however individuals are also socially situated. Sometimes the decision an individual makes, is not completely free. All decisions are made by social constraints and even though PGD and IVF are an option for some, not all individuals have an actual choice due to financial constraints. Moreover, the parents’ autonomy must be weighed against the child’s future autonomy. But, the problem of PGD and IVF is not solely

Though Greely mentions fairness issues, PGD and IVF can lead to not only a justice issue in terms of fairness, but also reproductive injustice and structural injustice. Despite having a constitutional right to procreate and to parent, physicians can turn individuals away from IVF due to their sexual orientation and their marital status. By allowing physicians to refuse to aid non-traditional heterosexual couples, states have allowed physicians to determine who should be allowed to be a parent and who should not - thereby maintaining the idea of what a family is “supposed” to look like. So, not only does PGD and IVF allow for the potential for physicians to discriminate against which individuals should have access to these technologies, but also in regard to what kind of babies should be born, i.e. babies without certain disorders and without disabilities. But, who is to say which kinds of lives are worth living and which are not? Whose voices will be heard and listened to if we as a society are drawing this line? While Greely acknowledges that society’s view of disabilities has an effect on fairness, Greely does not acknowledge how intersectionality plays a vital role in PGD and IVF. “These socially constructed identities, [i.e. sexuality, race, gender, ableism etc.,] overlap and create an interdependent system of