Teachings offer mixed view
The following comments are excerpted from "Judaism and Healing" by Rabbi J. David Bleich, a professor at Yeshiva University in New York.
"The desire to choose the gender of anticipated progeny is certainly a recognizable phenomenon in Jewish culture. 'Happy is he whose children are males and woe unto him whose children are females,' declares the Gemara, Kiddushin 82b."
"In at least three separate instances, the Talmud offers specific advice designed to increase the probability of a male birth. It must, however, be emphasized that Jewish teaching unequivocally rejects the option of terminating a pregnancy simply because the fetus is not of the desired sex."
"There is no obligation to seek 'heroic measures' to assure the birth of a child, much less so to guarantee the birth of a child of a particular sex."
"A society in which human beings are produced according to predetermined specification must reflect to a greater or lesser extent the evils of Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World.' There is ample evidence indicating that parents who prefer male children are more numerous than those preferring female progeny. Hence, predetermination of sex would undoubtedly lead to a sharp increase in the number of male births. This phenomenon would inherently lead to grave sociological repercussions. A demographic surplus of males over females would mean that a significant number of males would not be able to find marriage partners. Such a situation would certainly be counter to the goals and values of Judaism."
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