Gender Selection: A Position Statement

Abstract

Gender selection is the ability to choose a girl or a boy before you get pregnant. Some methods are used to assist in changing the odds towards the gender being selected. Methods such as selective abortion and infanticide resulted in birth ratios as high as 130 males per 100 females in some countries. Gender selection is surrounded with many debates. The purpose of this position statement is to present opponents and proponents’ viewpoints regarding gender selection. More to be done in this regard such as: the decisiveness of couples and physicians in issues related to gender selection; centers providing gender selection must keep a balanced gender ratio within the center; gender selection should only be done after proper informative and implicative counseling about many issues such as how to use healthy embryos of the unwanted gender in research, or their donation to infertile couples, or their transfer to the genetic mother.

Keywords: gender selection, position statement, proponents, opponents