Experts welcome moves to outlaw gender choice

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

A Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) report concludes that sex selection should only be resorted to in order to avoid serious gender-linked disorders.

The authority says its research has shown that the vast majority of the British public is opposed to people being allowed to choose whether they have a boy or girl for social or "family balancing" reasons.