Ethics and society: Social aspects of >800 couples coming forward for gender selection of their children

Abstract

The social characteristics of 809 couples attending a sex preselection clinic have been studied. Their ethnic origins were: Indian 57.8%, European 32.0%, Chinese 3.6% and others 6.8%. The average number of boys and girls per family was 0.09 and 2.70 respectively for couples wanting a boy, and 2.46 and 0.14 for those wanting a girl. The average age of the wives was 34.0 years. These figures were not significantly different in any ethnic subgroup. Out of all the couples, 80.6% stated that they would have had another baby even had sex preselection not been on offer; 37.5% of the couples interviewed have been treated so far. The figures among those treated are substantially the same as those for the whole group. Asian and Middle Eastern couples overwhelmingly wanted boys, whereas European couples showed a slight preference for girls. These results suggest that, given certain guidelines, sex selection is unlikely to lead to a serious distortion of the sex ratio in Britain and other Western societies, but may need careful monitoring in other parts of the world.

Social sex selection and the balance of the sexes: Empirical evidence from Germany, the UK, and the US

“…they already had two or three children of the same sex and wanted to have at least one child of the opposite sex: "Our study shows that well over 95% of couples came for this sole purpose. They are predominantly men and women in their mid-30 s nearing the end of their reproductive life and having on average 2-3 children of the same sex" [57]. Similarly, the Gender Clinic of New York City reports that all of the 120 American couples seeking sex selection were doing so for family balancing purposes: "They selected girls when they had boys at home and boys when there were only girls" [58].…”

Procreative liberty: the case for preconception sex selection

“…they already had two or three children of the same sex and wanted to have at least one child of the opposite sex: 'Our study shows that well over 95% of couples came for this sole purpose. They are predominantly men and women in their mid-30s nearing the end of their reproductive life and having on average 2-3 children of the same sex' (Liu and Rose, 1995). Similarly, the Gender Clinic of New York City reported that all of the 120 American couples seeking sex selection were doing so for family balancing purposes: 'They selected girls when they had boys at home and boys when there were only girls' (Khatamee et al, 1989).…”

Sex Selection: Laissez Faire or Family Balancing?

“…Although it is "conceivable," it is highly unlikely that hundreds and thousands of couples would employ sex selection for their first and only child to be a boy. Data from American and British "Gender Clinics" offering sperm sorting or preimplantation genetic diagnosis suggest that the only couples willing to subject themselves to an intrusive and expensive treatment for sex selection are couples who already have two or three children of the same sex and long to have one child of the opposite sex (Khatamee et al, 1989;Liu & Rose, 1995;Fugger et al, 1998). According to a study by Nan P. Chico who analysed 2505 letters from couples inquiring about sex selection, "only 1.4 per cent of these couples were seeking a first-born son, contrary to expectations based on an extensive review of the literature on gender preferences" (Chico, 1989).…”