DEVELOPING HALAKHIC ATTITUDES TO SEX PRESELECTION

Shekinah is between them in the mystery of man and woman." This is the meaning of"Before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you"(Jeremiah 1:5).

Progressive Judaism then, concurs with the historic Jewish position that there is something holy about the process of conceiving children within the context of marital sexuality. A child not conceived in this manner is, of course, in no way deficient in holiness. Rather, it is the act which is central to holiness, and progressive Judaism explicitly separates out marital intercourse as its most venerated and sanctified path for the production of children. Quite simply, it is the hallowed ideal. Seen in this light, the use of sperm separation and A.I.H. for the purposes of conception- even once ­can only be viewed as an unnecessary diminution of the sublime sanctity and gedushah that accompanies marital union. When no other medical interest is at stake,*® progressive Judaism would hardly be anxious to give its assent to procedures that place the value of sex preselection above that of marital sexual conception, no matter how infrequently. The sex preselection procedure of sperm separation would logically be unsuitable for progressive Jews on this basis.

It can be contended, therefore, that contemporary progressive Judaism would want to modify Bettan 's criteria in order to ensure that no societal instability, gender inequality, or decrease in conception through marital intercourse, would be the result of any approved sex preselection techniques. But it is not, of course, difficult to imagine circumstances under which these conditions might well be satisfied. Couples in a given society might certainly choose to have girls as often as boys- even as a first child; and a highly effective sex-specific spermicide or pill” might conceivably become available that would effect the operation of either the androsperm or gynosperm so that sex preselection and marital sexual intercourse could simultaneously proceed. Under such circumstances- if both the social and symbolic concerns discussed were to be removed ­would sex preselection be authorized for purposes of actual Jewish conduct?