Health Ministry blasted over decision to allow fetus sex selection [Israel]
By Haaretz,
Haaretz
| 05. 20. 2005
The Health Ministry has been sharply criticized for its decision to allow parents to choose their baby's sex in cases defined as "exceptional."
Commissioner for Future Generations Shlomo Shoham, a retired judge, said yesterday that "providing the option of choosing the sex of a fetus is sliding down a slippery slope," and "another step on the road to severe moral deterioration."
Shoham intends to use his authority to recommend that the Knesset pass a law banning the possibility of choosing the sex of a fetus, except when there is an established mortal danger.
MK Roman Bronfman (Yahad) asked the chairman of the Knesset Welfare and Health Committee to convene a meeting as soon as possible to address the issue. "This is an extremely serious ethical issue and the committee must discuss the limits of human intervention in the rules of nature," Bronfman said.
The Health Ministry decision created for the first time an official opening for using technology to select a baby's sex for nonmedical reasons. Such use of technology, Shoham said, "is banned in many countries in the world...
Related Articles
By Dr. Coco Newton, Progress Educational Trust | 03.30.2026
Have you ever wondered what it means to have dozens of half-siblings across the world – or to never know where half of your genetic identity comes from? A recent episode of Zembla explores the human consequences of the global...
By Alexandre Piquard, Le Monde [cites Katie Hasson] | 04.27.2026
"Si on en prouve la sûreté, nous croyons que l’édition préventive du génome pourrait être l’une des technologies de santé les plus importantes du siècle. » Lucas Harrington explique ainsi le but de son entreprise Preventive : créer des bébés génétiquement modifiés...
By Abby Vesoulis, Mother Jones | 04.18.2026
Two years ago, we devoted an entire issue to the rise of the American oligarchy. Since then, our oligarchic system has become more entrenched and pervasive, revolving around a small crew of tech titans whose quest for wealth and...
By Alex Aylward, Daniel J. Fairbanks, Maria Kiladi, and Gregory Radick , Heredity | 04.20.2026
Genetics and eugenics co-evolved at the beginning of the twentieth century and remained associated through the 1940s and beyond. Early geneticists were far from unanimous in their views on eugenics; some avidly supported the movement, whereas others openly opposed it...
