couple aborts IVF concieved twins due to "they wanted a girl"

[blas87]

In all fairness, I sort of roll my eyes at people who yell about people "playing God" when people do sort (hey, if they have the money to waste to guarantee they get that baby boy, more power to them, I say) or do testing to make sure that their kid is not mentally retarded or has any other problems, or when potential parents take every measure possible to have a "normal" kid, I have no issue with that.

I do take an issue with aborting a baby just because it isn't the gender you wanted. There is always adoption. There was no reason for abortion in this case whatsoever. They should be ashamed of themsleves.

[fireheart17]

In the response to the "adopt a child" line, I think I can sort of rationalize why she didn't go down that route, aside from it not occurring to her.

In terms of local children in Australia needing adoption, the numbers are minimal-often the number is maybe 60-70 and it has declined-often kids needing adoption are formally adopted by a relative.

In terms of intercountry adoptions, the costs can be staggering, as each country has its own requirements for adoption. (On an unrelated note, gay couples cannot adopt in Victoria where this takes place, while single folks regardless of sexuality CAN adopt, but are lower priority and can usually only adopt special-needs kids or in exceptional circumstances) It can be something like $20,000 AUD and higher than that to adopt a child.

I'm ready to place my own comment onto that, as I have a friend who's infertile due to a congenital defect (MRKH, meaning that she's missing one or more of the reproductive organs, in her case she's lucky, she has her ovaries but no womb, while some other suffers have no ovaries either) and will be forced to either adopt or go the surrogacy route if she wants kids.

[Kimmik]

I am appalled at the deepest level.... My first child was a son... and he died 2 weeks and 4 days after his birth... While yes I would love to have a son.. our second child was a girl.. and we love her madly. This is why I am against abortions... these people are no better then the people in charge of china... *I deeply detest abortions.. but I realize that it is a choice that is not mine to make other then I wont have one*

I never wanted a girl... the thought scared me... I will be honest.. I was a little sad that my second was going to be a girl... but that lasted all of 2 seconds... it was quickly replaced with the omg I am blessed to have a second child. These people do not deserve to even care for a fish... wtf is wrong with them...

[KnitShoni]

Wow.

To be fair, I can understand a little bit of disappointment if you were thinking "oh I want a girl/boy" and it's the opposite. But you know what? It's still your child. And the people I know who have felt disappointed got over it pretty fast--they just needed that moment to wallow like "damn it it's not a girl/boy/bat."

This? Is despicable.

I had a bit of that disappointment when I found out I was having a girl when I'd wanted a boy. But, oh, hey-I got over it about 5 minutes after the ultrasound. She would be a completely different awesome/infuriating/intelligent/beautiful/ pain in the rear if she were a boy, and I would miss all that if I'd had an abortion because she wasn't what I thought I wanted.

[lordlundar]

You know what the worst part about this is? The Anti-choice group (yeah, I know, they call themselves pro-lifers, but truth be told, true pro-life people are not the picketers) are going to use this a proof for their cause. Expect to see more abortion bombings soon.

[fireheart17]

You know what the worst part about this is? The Anti-choice group (yeah, I know, they call themselves pro-lifers, but truth be told, true pro-life people are not the picketers) are going to use this a proof for their cause. Expect to see more abortion bombings soon.

This is in Australia so I doubt it. We don't have abortion bombings. More likely, we'll have more idiots standing outside abortion clinics proclaiming that "abortion is the devil's tool"

[Mytical]

As mentioned I am more of a 'pro-lifer' then a 'pro-choice' because there are many people who would love to adopt. I am realize, however, that others disagree with me. I also realize there are legitimate reasons for wanting an abortion. Rape would be one, in my opinion (YMMV). Medical Conditions another.

However, gender of the child? No, no, a thousand times no (yes I said this before, but there is not enough times in the world I can say it). It's detestable, and I agree..the couple shouldn't even be allowed to take care of earthworms (or animals, or etc).

In all honesty there are other things I don't think should be a reason, but this has to be one of the craziest reasons out there.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I am absolutely pro-choice, but this is a disgusting reason. And frankly, I'm not sure I would grant this woman a child to adopt, if I were the one in charge of the adoption agency. She sounds like she needs serious therapy, not another kid.

My friend and her husband have 2 kids of their own (the oldest is just turned 7, the youngest is 1), plus an adopted daughter from China, who is almost 5, and they are in the process of adopting again from China - within the next year they will have two more children, both boys, to add to their brood (I think they are about 5 and 6). I have no idea how much it has cost them to do this but I know it ain't cheap, and they had to have all kinds of background checks (financial, legal, psychological) to even be considered. I don't know about the boys, but the girl is special needs, and very small for her age (the 1yo is only a few inches shorter than her); at first they thought it was just an "orphanage delay" or something to that effect, but after almost 3 years they're still not sure what her actual issues are.

[macphile]

I'm pro-life, so I object to abortion either way, but this is certainly an uncool sort.

Never mind all the usual arguments about the rightness or wrongness of abortion in general or in choice of a child's sex (which goes down some ugly societal roads), what do they tell the other kids when they ask why the twins never happened? "Well, they were boys, and we wanted a girl, so we tossed 'em." Nice.

[Megg]

If they wanted a girl so badly, and their country wouldn't allow them to select the gender, why in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster would they do the IVF at all? This woman needs a head doctor, not a fertility doctor. Twins no less! I am pro-choice, for the record, though I could never kill a baby inside me unless I knew there was a valid medical reason ... and even then, it would have to be a severe deformity or something. I believe that we have free will for a reason, and if you choose to abort a child, that's your business. I also believe I am allowed to be sad for those poor babies who didn't deserve such treatment. Some mother she is.

[FArchivist]

It's just appalling to me that someone can be that selfish. Have we sunk this low as a species?

In my opinion, no. This attitude has been prevalent in our species in all of recorded history. It's nothing new, so we have not sunk lower than that. Previously, the reaction of this copy would be to leave the son in the middle of a forest or on a mountainside to die, should they be dissatisfied with the gender.

Yeah I never had any closeness with my mother, would this couple want a refund if their daughter wasn't the "perfect little princess" they want and expect? What if she has a learning disability, what if she ends up being a lesbian, or transgendered, what if she's like me, basically a boy with two x chromosomes?

Which is why technology is evolving to meet those standards. Do not be surprised; in 50 years we'll be able to do Gattaca and I can guarantee it will happen. You won't have to worry about learning disabilities, sexual orientations, intellectual proclivities...it'll all be pre-programmed for you.

[Hyena Dandy]

eviously, the reaction of this copy would be to leave the son in the middle of a forest or on a mountainside to die, should they be dissatisfied with the gender.

The 'leave a child on the mountainside' thing was hardly widespread, and certainly never was done simply on account to gender. Even Henry VIII didn't kill his daughters, no matter how much he wanted a son.

[Boozy]

Even Henry VIII didn't kill his daughters, no matter how much he wanted a son.

This example makes no sense. What possible motive would the richest man in England have to kill his daughters? Spite? It's not like he couldn't easily support them.

Infanticide was committed out of poverty and desperation.

[Hyena Dandy]

This example makes no sense. What possible motive would the richest man in England have to kill his daughters? Spite? It's not like he couldn't easily support them.

Infanticide was committed out of poverty and desperation.

That was kind of my point.

It wasn't committed because you were unhappy with the result, was what I was saying. It wasn't an idle decision.

[HYHYBT]

Well, after all, he *did* kill several of his wives, despite going to great lengths to ensure he could have just divorced them.