Prêt-à-Porter Procreation: Contemplating the Ban on Preimplantation Sex Selection

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2019/v22i0a5681

Keywords:

designer babies, genetic testing, sex selection, bioethics, preimplantation genetic testing, reproductive rights, reproductive autonomy

Abstract

Preimplantation genetic testing makes it possible to genetically test in vitro embryos for the presence of genetic disease. It also identifies the sex of the embryo. Preimplantation sex selection is prohibited in a number of jurisdictions, including South Africa. Sex selection may be considered to be included in the ambit of the right to reproductive autonomy under the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. An analysis of international human rights law supports such a view, and a comparison with foreign law suggests that South Africa should be wary of adopting blanket prohibitions without considering their context. The analysis demonstrates that a prohibition of preimplantation sex selection may have no place in South African law.

 

GS39.png

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Cook RJ, Dickens BM and Fathalla MF Reproductive Health and Human Rights: Integrating Medicine, Ethics, and

Deonandan R "Recent Trends in Reproductive Tourism and International Surrogacy: Ethical Considerations and Challenges for Policy" 2015 Risk Manag Healthc Policy 111-119

Dickens BM "Can Sex Selection be Ethically Tolerated?" 2002 J Med Ethics 335-336

Dondorp W et al "ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law 20: Sex Selection for Non-medical Reasons" 2013 Human Reproduction 1448-1454

Dworkin R Life's Dominion: An Argument about Abortion and Euthanasia (Vintage New York 1994)

Ginsburg R "Sex Equality and the Constitution: The State of the Art" 1992 Women's Rights Law 361-366

Glendon MA Abortion and Divorce in Western Law (Harvard University Press Cambridge, Mass 1989)

Harris S "Sex Selection and Regulated Hatred" 2005 J Med Educ 291-294

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Sex Selection – Options for Regulation: A Report on the HFEA's 2002-2003 Review of Sex Selection including a Discussion of Legislative and Regulatory Options (HFEA London 2003)

Health Professions Council of South Africa Guidelines for Good Practice in the Health Care Professions: General Ethical Guidelines for Reproductive Health (Booklet 8) (HPCSA Pretoria 2016)

HPCSA Guidelines for Good Practice in the Health Care Professions (14)

Health Professions Council of South Africa Guidelines for Good Practice in the Health Care Professions: General Ethical Guidelines for Biotechnology Research in South Africa (Booklet 14) (HPCSA Pretoria 2008)

Jones 1993 Harv J L & Tech

Jones OD "Sex Selection: Regulating Technology Enabling the Predetermination of a Child's Gender" 1993 Harv J L & Tech 1-62

Moazam F "Feminist Discourse of Sex Screening and Selective Abortion of Female Foetuses" 2004 Bioethics 205-220

Mohapatra S "Global Legal Responses to Prenatal Gender Identification and Sex Selection" 2013 Nev L J 690-721

Nys H "Physician Involvement in a Patient's Death" 1999 Med L Rev 208-246

O'Sullivan M "Reproductive Rights" in Woolman S and Bishop M (eds) Constitutional Law of South Africa (Juta Cape Town 2013 RS 3) ch 37

Pepper MS "Enactment of Chapter 8 of the National Health Act and Regulations thereto" 2012 SAJBL 60

Ray JG et al "Sex Ratios among Canadian Liveborn Infants of Mothers from Different Countries" 2012 CMAJ E492-E496

Sachan D "India's Problem with Girls" 2013 BMJ 4149

Scott R Choosing between Possible Lives: Law and Ethics of Prenatal and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (Hart Oxford 2007)

South African Law Commission Report on Surrogate Motherhood: Project 65 (Pretoria November 1992)

Scott R Rights, Duties and the Body: Law and Ethics of the Maternal-fetal Conflict (Hart Oxford 2002)

Toebes B "Sex Selection under International Human Rights Law" 2008 Med L Int 197-225

Tregenza-Parker G Sex Selection for Family Balancing? A Legal and Ethical Analysis (LLM-dissertation University of Exeter 2013)

Van Niekerk C "Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Right to Reproduce under South African Law" 2017 PELJ 1-31

Vogel L "Sex Selection Migrates to Canada" 2012 CMAJ E163-E164

AB v Minister of Social Development 2015 4 All SA 24 (GP)

AB v Minister of Social Development 2017 3 BCLR 267 (CC)

Brűggeman and Scheuten v Federal Republic of Germany D&R 10 (1978)

Barkhuizen v Napier 2007 5 SA 323 (CC)

Evans v United Kingdom (2007) ECHR 264

Ferreira v Levin 1996 1 SA 984 (CC)

Griswold v Connecticut 381 US 479 (1965)

Karen Noelia Llantoy Huamán v Peru Communication No 1153/2003

Kroon v Netherlands (1994) 19 EHRR 263

NM v Smith 2007 5 SA 250 (CC)

Pretty v United Kingdom (1998) 26 EHRR 241

R v Morgenthaler (1988) 44 DLR (4th)

S v Jordan 2002 11 BCLR 1117 (CC)

S v Makwanyane 1995 3 SA 391 (C)

Children's Act 38 of 2005

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

Human Tissue Act 65 of 1983

National Health Act 61 of 2003

International instruments

Beijing Declaration (1995)

Cairo Programme of Action (1994)

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000)

European Convention on Human Rights (1950)

European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997)

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005)

UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)

UN Human Rights Committee General Comment No 28: The Equality of Rights between Men and Women (Article 3) UN Doc CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.10 (2000)

GN R175 in GG 35099 of 2 March 2012

GN R1165 in GG 40312 of 30 September 2016

Personal communication between the author and Dr Paul le Roux (Cape Fertility Clinic), 12 January 2018

Chamie 2008 https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/global-abortion-bind

Chamie J 2008 "The Global Abortion Bind" Yale Global Online https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/global-abortion-bind accessed 11 August 2019

Darovsky 2009 https://nanopdf.com/download/countries-with-laws-or-policies-on-sex-selection_pdf

Darnovsky M 2009 Countries with Laws or Policies on Sex Selection https://nanopdf.com/download/countries-with-laws-or-policies-on-sex-selection_pdf accessed 11 August 2019

Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2019 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2019 Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary accessed 11 August 2019

Sen 2009 https://www.dawnnet.org/uploads/documents/Sex%20Selection%20GS%20draft%2008062009_2011-Mar-8.pdf

Sen G 2009 Gender Biased Sex Selection. Key Issues for Action https://www.dawnnet.org/uploads/documents/Sex%20Selection%20GS%20draft%2008062009_2011-Mar-8.pdf accessed 26 August 2019

UN Population Fund 1994 https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/event-pdf/PoA_en.pdf

United Nations Population Fund 1994 Programme of Action (adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994) https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/event-pdf/PoA_en.pdf accessed 11 August 2019

WHO 2011 https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/gender_rights/9789241501460/en/

World Health Organization 2011 Preventing Gender-Biased Sex Selection: An Inter-Agency Statement https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/gender_rights/9789241501460/en/ accessed 9 September 2017

Published

25-10-2019

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Soni, S. (2019). Prêt-à-Porter Procreation: Contemplating the Ban on Preimplantation Sex Selection. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 22, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2019/v22i0a5681

Similar Articles

1-10 of 1082

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)