Mrs. E is a married 35-year-old Hindu woman expecting her fourth child. She has three daughters and on several occasions has expressed her desire to have a son. Because of her age, she is referred for amniocentesis to rule out genetic anomalies. A healthy female fetus is reported, whereupon Mrs. E requests a termination of pregnancy. The pregnancy is now at 20 weeks. Mr. and Mrs. E are referred for counseling.

Mr. and Mrs. F, an orthodox Sikh couple, are happily anticipating the birth of their first child. The pregnancy is uneventful until 32 weeks, when gestational hypertension is diagnosed. Over the next two weeks, Mrs. F's condition continues to deteriorate despite bed rest, hospital care, and intensive medical management. Mr. and Mrs. F consent to cesarean section to save the lives of mother and child. At 34 weeks, a female infant is delivered by cesarean section under general anesthetic. The baby is grossly edematous, looks dysmorphic, and has an Apgar score of 1 at one minute. Her birth weight is 1000 g, and the placenta is small and calcified. Mrs. F is still under general anesthetic, and Mr. F is not in the operating room. The physicians need to decide on the degree of intervention. Fortunately, the infant responds to basic stimulation from toweling and drying under a prewarmed radiant heater and to resuscitation with oxygen by facemask.[…]