Parents' baby gender selection 'unethical'

MOVES to prevent couples from being allowed to choose the sex of their baby for reasons other than medical concerns were welcomed by doctors, fertility experts and ethical watchdogs in Britain yesterday.

A report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it had come to the conclusion that sex selection should only be used to avoid serious gender-linked disorders, such as haemophilia.

British Health Secretary John Reid, the British Medical Association, the British Fertility Society and the Human Genetics Alert were among those who welcomed the HFEA's recommendations, which will now be considered by the British government.

The authority said its research had shown that the vast majority of the public were opposed to people being allowed to choose whether they have a boy or girl for social reasons.

Its recommendations will come as a blow to couples who believe they should have to right to choose the sex of their child, many of whom are willing to travel abroad for treatment that is not legal in Britain.

Dr Reid said: "I fully support the view that people should not be allowed to select the sex of their children on social grounds.

"I can confirm that as long as I am Secretary of State for Health, sex selection will only be permitted on compelling medical grounds.

"We will consider carefully whether the law needs to be changed to ensure this ban can be maintained effectively."

"I have always been opposed to sex selection on the grounds of social choice and other than on very compelling medical grounds, so I am glad to see that research indicates that about 80% of people feel the same way," said Dr Reid.

"I have always believed that we shouldn't just automatically insist that because technology allows us to do something, that we'll just accept it," he added.

The HFEA's review was prompted by a request from the government and included a public consultation showing that 80% of people in Britain the UK were opposed to gender selection for non-medical reasons.

In its recommendations, the HFEA said techniques involving sperm sorting which differentiate between male and female sperm should be regulatedthe UK.

HFEA chairwoman Suzi Leather said they had found sex selection a "difficult issue". "The HFEA has to balance the potential benefit of any technique against the potential harm.

"We are not persuaded that the likely benefits of permitting sex selection for social reasons are strong enough to outweigh the possible harm done," she said.

Dr David King, director of the watchdog group Human Genetics Alert, said: "Sex selection is the exercise of sexism at the most profound level deciding who gets to live. If you are not prepared to accept and parent both a boy or a girl, you should not be a parent."