Family Planning - Personal Choices Family Planning:

Family Planning - Personal Choices

Family Planning: Personal Choices

In her essay, "Freeing Choices," Nancy Mairs discusses the personal choices in family planning, which significant advances in the field of medical technology and genetics are now likely to make possible. Prior to the advent of ultrasounds and amniocentesis, it was not possible for would-be-parents to learn the sex of their unborn child. Indeed, other than practicing family planning to prevent the creation of new life, families had little choice but to accept the new born, irrespective of the sex or their hopes for a son or daughter. Today, however, it is possible to use "amniocentesis to determine the sex of a fetus, followed by abortion if the parents don't want the sort they've begun." (Mairs, p. 435) Thus, modern technology and knowledge have now made a greater degree of personal choice possible in family planning. It is this central fact that explains the reason why Mairs has titled her essay as "Freeing Choices."

Mairs builds a strong case for defending the rights of differently abled Americans, principally by inviting the reader to visualize several hypothetical situations entailing a decision to abort a new life. For instance, she conjectures a situation where many people might well consider abortion if they were told that their child would be born with a genetic defect, which causes visual impairment. Mairs technique in drawing these hypothetical situations is brilliant since she takes the trouble to first sympathize with the plight of such parents in being asked to make such a difficult choice. She achieves this through displaying a deep knowledge and understanding of the quality of life and problems that the parents of such disabled children are likely to face. However, in each instance, Mairs immediately follows through by pointing out the basic right of differently abled people to life: "But these are otherwise ideal children...going to become terrific adults. The problem is that if you eliminate one flaw, you throw out the whole complicated creature, and my world would be a poorer place without Michael and Megan." (Mairs, p. 437) Thus, by critically examining both the pros and cons of such decisions, Mairs succeeds in presenting an effective, well-rounded argument in defending the rights of differently abled people.

Mairs efforts to defend the rights of less advantaged people are particularly to be admired considering the various forms of prejudice that continue to exist in American society today. Take, for instance, Mairs observation that we continue to be a patriarchal society: "What they generally want, as parents have done from time immemorial, is a boy." (Mairs, p. 435) Other forms of prejudices such as racism persist as well, although this may not be as apparent as it once was given social disapproval of blatant forms of racist behavior. Society may not approve but the fact remains that racial prejudices continue to exist, albeit in subtler forms. For example, I have personally observed the alienation suffered by students who come from different cultural backgrounds or minority groups; a fact that is true but hard to prove.

Mairs's essay is extremely thought provoking since it raises issues about basic human rights that should concern every citizen. In fact, if I had not been exposed to Mairs analysis of the dangers inherent in the use or abuse of genetic technology, I may never have realized the need for legislation and regulation of the ethical issues surrounding the use of genetics. Mairs's work also succeeded in raising my own levels of consciousness about the fact that all humans are entitled to certain basic human rights such as the right to life, irrespective of different levels of physical or mental ability.