Sexism, sex selection and 'family balancing'.

Traditionally, reproductive autonomy meant simply the freedom (assuming it was a real freedom) to decide whether to try and reproduce, with whom, when and where. However, now the issues include the questions of whether reproductive autonomy should extend to include, for example, social sex selection, buying and selling eggs, sperm and embryos, the selection of the characteristics of possible future children or to having one child to save another (the so-called saviour sibling). While we would strive to encourage autonomous decision making, we recognise that there may be problems with unfettered and unregulated choices.2