Gender Selection News : Legislation

Sex selection and the 'yuck factor'

Maureen — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 12:07:00 GMT

As the debate in Britian continues about sex selection for family balancing, one editorialist opines that there's really no reason not to allow parents to choose the gender of their baby.

As for the idea that choosing your child’s sex is somehow immoral, why do the same critics not inveigh against these more homespun techniques [the squirt of lemon or the high-sodium diet or the immaculate timing]? The intention behind them is exactly the same, after all, whether you are dosing yourself with salty food or sending his sperm to a lab.

We are in danger of letting the “yuck factor” determine our legislation. Thirty years ago, the yuck factor nearly put paid to IVF, which was then known — a little yuckily — as “test-tube babies”. Now IVF is commonplace and few people find it disturbing.

Watch that knee jerk: sex selection is perfectly natural
UK Times Online

Run for the hills, the designer babies are coming!

Maureen — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Britian is only a "hop, skip, and a jump" away from the nightmare vision of social engineering portrayed in Aldous Huxley's science fiction classic "Brave New World", according to the chairman of the British Medical Association Welsh Council.

As the UK government considers whether to lift the ban on gender selection for family balancing, Dr. Tony Calland warns that allowing parents to use sex selection on non-medical grounds puts us on the dreaded "slippery slope" toward Huxley's science fiction dystopia, where the inhabitants are standardized, laboratory-grown clones, pre-programmed to be members of the upper class or desgined to be worker drones.

"There are a lot of people who will see any loosening of this Act as a further step on the slippery slope - the end point being where you decide that you want a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who is bright and good at tennis. That takes us down a road which, to my mind, is Brave New World territory. ... We are now a hop, skip and a jump away from it and that makes me very uncomfortable."

Although I'm quite a science fiction fan myself, just for the heck of it let's check out the science facts.

Scientists do not know which gene combinations are responsible for complex traits like intelligence, athletic ability, leadership, beauty, and so on.
Scientists cannot alter an embryo's genetic makeup to produce a desired trait, such as eye color, or even to correct a defect, such as having a disease gene. So far, this has been accomplished only in laboratory animals, and not entirely successfully. Many attempts at genetic modifications introduce unwanted mutations with extreme developmental consequences, even death. We are not a "hop, skip, and a jump" away from using this on humans experimentally, much less on a widespread basis.
Parents cannot design a baby with many desired traits by genetic screening. Although you have seen dozens of news stories about so-called "designer babies" like Jamie Whitaker, the term design is actually incorrect. It's only used because the media knows it's an attention-grabber.

In fact, scientists can merely select an embryo which already has a desired trait. The embryo is still the natural, unaltered offspring of the parents. Genetic screening can do no more than simply identify whether an embryo has a desired trait or not.

So what would stop parents from writing a laundry list of desirable traits for their baby, and selecting only embryos that match?

Parents are limited simply by the number of their embryos available to choose from. As anyone who has been through IVF knows, during each IVF attempt, only a very limited number of viable, healthy embryos can be produced. It just isn't feasible to screen for several "designer" characteristics. Dr. Robert Jansen explains it very well:

First, no gene (unless both parents have it) is going to appear in more than, on average, half the embryos.

Second, how the different genes (all 32,000 or more of them) assort with each other is totally out of our hands, even in an IVF lab. In a restricted number of embryos, as is always the case after egg retrieval and IVF, probably much less than half will even be normal (in terms of having the normal number of chromosomes); of these, on average no more than half will have one wanted gene, no more than a quarter will have two wanted ones, an eighth will have three ... and so on. If you want to get too picky, you quickly run out of embryos.

As for the "slippery slope" -- although gender selection using MicroSort and PGD has been available in the US for a number of years (I used MicroSort 5 years ago), I certainly haven't noticed any tendency for Americans to give up procreating the good old fashioned way.

(Note to Dr. Calland: War of the Worlds isn't real, either; please do not be alarmed.)

Designer babies 'close to reality'
Wales News
"Designer Babies?" Hardly. The near future: a slope that's not as slippery as it looks
Dr. Robert Jansen, from the book Getting Pregnant
Human Germline Genetic Modification <-- Science Fact
Genetics & Public Policy Center (Johns Hopkins University)
Brave New World <-- Science Fiction
by Aldous Huxley (Read the entire book online)

Pregnant woman killed for having only daughters

Maureen — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 16:11:00 GMT

This post is so difficult to write, but I felt I could not let this story pass without mentioning the tragic fate of Nita Koli, a 25-year-old mother in Gujarat, India. Six months pregnant, the young woman was burned to death by her husband and mother-in-law, apparently after learning her baby was a third daughter.

The most appalling aspect of this story is that Nita is far from unique in her sad fate -- each year in India, thousands of women are burned in a crime called bride burning. The practice is carried out by men who find their wife unsatisfactory for some reason, usually dowry-related. Even though the dowry custom has been outlawed in India, a bride's parents are expected to provide the couple with expensive gifts and money, sometimes throughout the marriage. If the husband is dissatisfied with the dowry, or if the parents fall behind in payments, the wife may become a victim of bride burning; often disguised as an accident or (incredibly) suicide. The husband, conveniently enough, is now eligible for a new wife and another dowry.

In Nita Koli's case, it seems clear that husband Sanjay was displeased with the economics of receiving one dowry for Nita, yet facing the demands for three dowries from future in-laws. Whether he and his mother, Kuwar Koli, will be punished for this barbaric crime remains to be seen. On the date of Nita's burning, August 10, a "complaint of harassment was lodged with the Morbi police". The two were not even arrested until Nita died from her burns a week later, when they were charged with murder.

In the current debate in the UK over whether the ban on sex selection should be lifted, there are some who argue that permitting gender selection for non-medical reason sends the wrong message to countries with a strong preference for boys. The gender ratio in India, in particular, has become distorted from the use of sex selective abortion, infanticide, neglect, and abandonment. (I don't personally consider these practices to be "sex selection", any more than I would consider abortion to be "birth control".) The Indian government is actually promoting a "Save the Girl Child" campaign, imploring parents not to abort female babies or murder their newborn daughters. The very idea that a government finds it necessary to beg parents not to kill their own children, is mind boggling to the point of incomprehension.

To those working to improve the plight of women in India, outrage over a procedure like MicroSort cannot be overstated, because it is viewed as inherently sexist -- that choosing a baby's sex implies favoring one sex over the other. However, being steeped in a culture that favors males so strongly that women become viewed as little more than incubators for more males, they have missed a crucial point: The majority of those seeking to use sex selection in Western countries want to have girls. ]

Every statistic available for sex selection bears out a desire for girls. More girls are requested at MicroSort in the US and at Ericsson clinics worldwide. British couples undergoing infertility treatment were polled about gender selection, and many more said they would choose to have a girl, if the choice were available. Even sales the at-home Gen-Select gender selection kit are reported to be higher for the female kit.

The message from the responsible use of sex selection for family balancing isn't that one sex is superior, but that both are equally desired and treasured. And that daughters aren't merely a burden to be tolerated, but are beloved and cherished; and desired so strongly that mothers are willing to surmount enormous obstacles for the joy of having them.

Please pray with me for the welfare the two daughters left behind by Nita Koli, whose circumstances, I can only imagine, must be very grim indeed.

Pregnant woman burnt to death
The Times of India
In-laws kill pregnant woman for not having sons
Blogging Baby
India still fighting to 'save the girl child'
International Herald Tribune, APR-2005
Are our sisters and daughters for sale? When will the horrors of dowry and bride-burning end?
India Together,

Gender selection tourism: going abroad when you can't get it at home

Maureen — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:00:00 GMT

Nicola Chenery was the mother of 4 beautiful sons, but longed for a daughter, so much so that she travelled from her home in England to Spain, where medical gender selection for family balancing is allowed. PGD treatment costing $11,000 made Nicola's dream come true: she is now the mum of twin girls.

(The Chenery story was widely publicized in the British press; see links below.)

The Mastertons are a Scottish couple with 4 sons who wanted a daughter, after their only daughter Nicole died tragically at the age of 3. After trying in vain to persuade the UK government to permit them to use sex selection, the Mastertons went abroad and spent more than $50,000 on three IVF with PGD attempts, but failed to become pregnant. The Mastertons have given up their quest for a daughter, saying "time has run out for us biologically," but continue to support those seeking reproductive choice in the UK.

“I haven’t heard a valid argument yet to deny people that choice. People contact us constantly; most are partaking in infertility tourism.

“Seven couples that we know are going abroad this week, mostly to the United States. Their eggs will be harvested, fertilised, left for 48 hours, undergo testing and then implanted if they are the right sex.

“The technique costs about $20,000 (£11,000). We know of one couple who went four times and were successful on their fourth attempt

The Chenerys:

Mother with four sons paid £6,000 to have daughters
UK Telegraph, Today
Sex choice mum has two girls
BBC News, NOV-2003
Woman pregnant after IVF sex choice
BBC News, JUN-2003
Mum plans to select baby's sex
BBC News, SEP-2002

The Mastertons:

'Infertility tourists' who spend £11,000 to specify sex
UK Times Online, Today
Couple abandon battle for baby of their choice
UK Times Online, JAN-2005 (This breaks my heart.)
Memorandum from Alan Masterton and Louise Masterton to the UK Parliament
Alan Masterton tells in his own words why gender selection is right for his family. (Please ignore his misinformation about "sperm mix", a vast number of medical studies has confirmed that all men have 50/50 X/Y sperm, with only exceedingly rare exceptions.)
Couple tell MPs of test tube baby battle
Scotland Today, JUN-2004
Alan and Louise Masterson speak to the Select Committee on Science and Technology
UK Parliament Transcript, JUN-2004
Baby chase
UK Guardian, JUN-2004
Embryo Police
Wired, FEB-2002

The UK government wants your opinion on whether gender selection should be permitted, or banned

Maureen — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:30:00 GMT

High tech gender selection for family balancing is prohibited in the UK, but is it possible that could change? Today the United Kingdom's Department of Health launches a public consultation to learn the public's views on sex selection and other issues related to assisted conception technologies. The consultation is part of a review aimed at reforming regulations established 15 years ago by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act (HFE Act).

Below are excerpts from the review document dealing with gender selection. See the links at the end of this article to learn more and find out how to send your own opinion to the UK Department of Health. The deadline is November 25th.

5.28 The HFE Act does not prohibit sex selection of embryos. Sex selection using PGD is subject to regulation by the HFEA. Currently the HFEA only allows sex selection to avoid sex-linked disorders such as haemophilia.

5.29 Sex selection using new “sperm sorting” procedures is not covered by the HFE Act. The question of whether “sperm sorting” should be brought within the HFE Act is dealt with in paragraphs 2.33 to 2.37

5.30 In 2002/03 the HFEA undertook an extensive public consultation on the issue of sex selection. This included written consultation, discussion groups, and a MORI survey of 2,000 people representative of the UK population. This found strong public opposition to sex selection for non-medical reasons.

5.31 The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, however, considered the issue of sex selection and found no adequate justification for prohibiting the use of sex selection for family balancing – that is, where a family already have children of one gender and wish to ‘balance’ their family with a child of the other gender. This was on the basis that family balancing would be unlikely to result in harm to society through an overall gender imbalance. Some countries such as Belgium and Jordan allow sex selection for non-medical reasons. Others such as Israel allow non-medical sex selection only for family balancing purposes.

5.32 The Government seeks views on sex selection for non-medical reasons. In particular, should this be banned? Or should people be allowed to use sex selection techniques for family balancing purposes as the Science and Technology Committee suggest? If so, how many children of one gender should a couple already have before being allowed to use sex selection techniques to try for a child of the other gender?

The following section deals with sperm sorting techniques, which would include Ericsson and MicroSort. These techniques are currently permitted in the UK, as long as no embryos are created, meaning that use with IVF is not allowed.

2.33 The HFE Act currently regulates the storage and donation of gametes and embryos, and the creation and keeping of embryos outside the body. It does not however regulate the use of a couple’s own gametes for treatments which do not involve either storage or the creation of embryos outside the body. This means in practice that certain techniques – such as methods of artificial insemination where sperm is used without being stored – do not come within the scope of regulation, and therefore do not currently require a licence. These techniques include gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act: A public consultation
UK Department of Health
Click here to download review documents, and find instructions for sending your opinion to the Department of Health
Health Minister launches consultation on Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act
UK Department of Health Press Release
UK fertility laws to be reviewed
BioNews UK (excellent resource!)
Forum for discussing the HFE Act review
Funded by the UK Department of Health, this is an open forum for discussing issues raised by the review of the HFE Act.
Fertility laws set for overhaul
BBC News

Miracle cure thanks to PGD and 'savior sibling'

Maureen — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Hallelujah! Charlie Whitaker, a toddler ill with a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, has been pronounced cured after receiving a transplant of the umbilical blood from his brother Jamie. Jamie was conceived using PGD, a technique which uses genetic screening to choose a tissue-matched embryo. The Whitakers were forced to travel from Britian to the US for PGD treatment, after the UK government heartlessly refused to permit the use of PGD in their case.

May the Whitaker family continue to enjoy the blessing of health and every happiness!

My little brother was born to save my life
Charlie, 6, gets health all-clear in medical first
UK Mirror

Canada may consider Baby Gender Mentor ban

Maureen — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 19:08:00 GMT

A health official hopes to stop Canadian sales of the Acu-Gen Baby Gender Mentor test, which claims to reveal an unborn baby's gender as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy.

"To take a product which is not regulated by the province, which the province has had no testing over, and to base potentially vital health decisions on it is, we don't believe, a wise course," said George Abbott, British Columbia's Health Minister in today's Vancouver Sun, referring to the possibility that a woman might decide to terminate a pregnancy under false information.

Abbot plans to convey his concerns to his federal counterpart this week, in hopes of putting regulations in place to stop the product's sale.

B.C.'s health minister to raise alarm over baby-gender test
No way to regulate safety of kits now available over Internet
Vancouver Sun

Fertility tourism on the rise in California

Maureen — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 12:00:00 GMT

'California, Land of Promise'

Undergoing IVF is no vacation, but that's the reason a growing number of couples are heading to California. Because California permits many procedures that are regulated or prohibited in other countries, such as egg donation and surrogacy, couples from around the world flock to California in hopes of bringing home a baby as a souvenir.

Medical gender selection is banned in nearly every country in the world except the US. Huntington Reproductive Center in Los Angeles is one of the largest IVF centers on the West coast, and is a destination for couples around the US and around the world who hope to use MicroSort sperm separation to choose their baby's sex.

But while California may be attractive from a legal perspective, how does the US compare to other countries in terms of cost for IVF? The July issue of Wired magazine compared the cost of IVF worldwide; it turns out, you'll pay a premium to get pregnant in the US.

For infertile couples, it's California or bust
San Francisco Chronicle

Egypt considers high-tech gender selection

Maureen — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 11:48:00 GMT

Religious scholars in Egypt recently condoned the use of sex selection techniques for Muslims, although only under certain conditions. While scholars of the Qur'an believe that intervening in the fertilization of an egg to determine the baby's gender defies God's will, others note that the Prophet Zakaria prayed for God to endow him with a son.

However, everything is contingent upon God’s will. If somebody wants to have a son, his dream would not be fulfilled unless God destines him to have a son

The Egg and I
Egypt Today

UK's first savior sibling is a 'perfect match' -- and parents are thrilled to have a girl.

Maureen — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 12:00:00 GMT

A few weeks ago I mentioned the birth of the UK's first savior sibling -- Jodie Fletcher, born after PGD was used to select embryos tissue-matched to her 3-year-old brother, Joshua. Joshua suffers from a rare blood disorder, and despite extensive medical treatment is often in severe pain. His only hope for a cure is from a blood stem cell transplant from a tissue-matched donor.

Genetic tests have just revealed that the Fletchers' new daughter, Jodie, is a perfect match. Jubilant at the news, Joe Fletcher says they are delighted to have a"healthy wee girl".

Jodie's dad, Joe, revealed that of the nine embryos fertilised - just one was female.

"The odds were so against having a girl," he said. "Julie always wanted a girl - we have two boys. But we are both just glad the baby is healthy. That is the important thing."

Designer baby is a perfect match; New hope for sick tot Joshua
Belfast Telegraph
'Savior sibling' perfect genetic match for brother
BioNews

Bioethicist defends parents' right to choose their baby's gender

Maureen — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 11:45:00 GMT

Dr. Edgar Dahl, bioethicist and senior research fellow at the medical centre of Geissen University, Germany, argues that sex selection should be permitted in the UK. Based on his extensive research on gender preference among parents in many countries, Dahl refutes the common misconception that gender selection could lead to a sex ratio imbalance. He cites a survey which found that the majority of British couples would like to have an equal number of boys and girls, and the remaining couples didn't have any gender preference.

It is simply untrue that all people who would like to choose the gender of their children are motivated by the sexist belief that one sex is more valuable than the other.

Why I believe parents have the right to choose the sex of their children
Dr. Edgar Dahl

UK: Why the critics got it wrong over 'designer babies'

Maureen — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 12:01:00 GMT

Why the critics got it wrong over 'designer babies'
Scottish News

Commentary on the report on reproductive technologies issued by the UK's House of Commons select committee on science and technology concludes, "the report certainly is radical, but in a positive not a negative sense".

UK: The law is halting the birth of a new era

Maureen — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 11:53:00 GMT

The law is halting birth of new era
Scottish News

Dr. Ian Gibson, chairman of the UK's House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, comments on changes needed in the function of the HFEA, which regulates fertility treatment in the UK. An excerpt from this excellent article:

The 1990 Act has an infamous clause, which states that "a woman shall not be provided with treatment services unless account has been taken of the welfare of any child who may be born as a result of the treatment (including the need of that child for a father) and of any other child who may be affected by the birth".

Looking after the welfare of the child sounds like a good thing, but in effect it enables the state to decide who is a fit parent. We decided that this was discriminatory.

It means that infertile couples’ lives are scrutinised in a way that fertile couples would regard as a gross invasion of their privacy.

Gender selection may be permitted in Egypt

Maureen — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 12:47:00 GMT

Al-Azhar Likely to Allow Restricted Gender Choice
IslamOnline.net

Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Muslim Sunni world, is likely to allow parents to determine the sex of their would-be child, but under specific and limited conditions.