Discrimination Against Women (Before Birth)

Gender discrimination before birth is increasing around the world as reported at a recent montreal conference.

There is no more extreme example of gender discrimination than pre-selection before birth. Sadly, delegates to the 14^th World Congress on In Vitro Fertilization were informed that gender pre-selection for non-medical reasons is increasing around the world as a result of new developments in reproductive technology.

Joseph Schenker, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, noted that societies have favored the birth of boys over girls. He suggested that pre-implantation genetic screening to choose a child's sex is an acceptable alternative to female infanticide in India or abortion of female babies in China.

The most reliable method of gender selection involves creating several embryos through in vitro fertilization and examining them genetically to determine the gender. Then an embryo of the desired gender is chosen and transferred to the mother’s uterus. The leftover embryos are either destroyed, frozen or donated.

At CBMW we are grieved to see unbiblical discrimination between men and women who are fearfully and wonderfully made from the womb (Psalms 139:13-14) and who have equal access to salvation in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Pre-selection before birth is the worst form of discrimination against women, and it is inherently sinful to artificially favor the birth of boys over girls. Do not let the sterile techniques of reproductive technology that “destroy embryos” obscure the fact that these sinful desires lead to the murder of women who bear the image of God (Genesis 9:6).

Photo from by IVF.com, Atlanta, GA, USA. Copyright 2005.