Leaving it to nature

The HFEA wants to keep the status quo

Should we be allowed to "design" our own families and choose the sex of our children? The verdict of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a definite 'no', except where there are medical reasons, and they say public opinion is behind them.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority found that eighty per cent of people opposed the use of selection techniques for social reasons. But parents who've been fighting for the right to balance their families, say they'll go abroad for treatment.

Breakfast discussed the issues with:

Professor Ian Craft. He said he would rather couples have a child of the gender they want rather than terminating a child at 12 weeks.

Suzi Leather, who chairs the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. She said many feel sex selection is too trivial, and that children are gifts rather than commodities.

Fertility expert Dr Paul Rainsbury, and David King, the Director of ethical watchdog Human Genetics Alert.

And the Health Secretary, John Reid. He said the current laws will remain - that you can't sex select for social reasons.

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Ministers asked the HFEA to carry out the public consultation after a number of couples travelled abroad to select their child's sex.

'Family balancing'

Last year, a US clinic revealed it had helped six British couples to choose their baby's gender.

All had done so for "family balancing" reasons. For instance, one woman had six boys and wanted a daughter.

This quango forces people like ourselves abroad Alan Masterton 'We desperately want a girl'

Doctors can determine a baby's gender in two ways - through genetic testing or sperm sorting.

Genetic testing enables female embryos to be identified before being placed in the womb, so-called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

Sperm sorting involves separating "male" and "female" sperm, depending on whether they carry male or female chromosomes, then choosing which to use to inseminate a woman or create embryos in the laboratory.

The HFEA's decision means parents will still only be allowed to choose the sex of their baby for purely medical reasons.

This is allowed if there is a risk of passing on a genetic disease affecting children of just one sex, such as Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy - which only affects boys.

The HFEA said it had taken public and expert opinion into account before deciding.

In its report, it highlights the findings of a MORI survey of 2,000 people, which found 69% of people thought unrestricted sex selection should not be available.

"Over 80% of people did not want sperm sorting or PGD to be made available for non-medical reasons."

The report also calls for a loophole in the law, which allows unlicensed clinics to carry out sperm sorting using fresh sperm, to be closed.

HFEA chairman Suzi Leather said the decision to keep the gender selection ban had been difficult.

But she added: "We are not persuaded the likely benefits of permitting sex selection for social reasons are strong enough to outweigh the possible harm."

Broad support

The HFEA ruling has been broadly welcomed.

Professor Alison Murdoch, chairwoman of the British Fertility Society, said: "Like the general public, the majority of our members want sex selection only where there are sound medical reasons."

Sex selection purely for social reasons is unacceptable Dr Michael Wilks, British Medical Association

Dr Michael Wilks, chairman of the British Medical Association's ethics committee, said: "Sex selection should only be used for medical reasons, for example, to avoid the birth of a child with a severe disorder that only affects one sex. Sex selection purely for social reasons is unacceptable."

Dr Simon Fishel, managing director of the Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Nottingham said: "It is an understandable decision because people feel very uneasy at using IVF for this purpose."

But he added: "Those families that wanted to use sex selection for choosing the gender of their child will be disappointed and will now be forced to go abroad to seek treatment."

Nicola Chenery, who gave birth to twin girls earlier this month after going to Spain to use sex selection technology, criticised the decision.

"I hope one day this treatment will be available on the NHS, because it is only IVF and uses the same procedures," she said.

Alan Masterton, from Dundee, who with his wife has had three failed attempts at selecting a girl, criticised the decision.

"This quango forces people like ourselves abroad," he said. "This does not stop people from having this procedure done. Make no mistake, all it does is make it more expensive."

Julia Millington of the ProLife Party said the HFEA should have gone further.

"Sex selection is still permitted for medical reasons to prevent the transmission of a sex-linked hereditary genetic condition," she said.

"We find this equally as objectionable and discriminatory as sex selection for social reasons."