A new clinical trial in the United States will allow couples to choose the gender of their unborn child, aiming to determine the societal impacts on that child.
Doctors create embryos for couples participating in the study using assisted reproductive technology. They then identify the sex of the embryos through a process known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). The couples can then choose to implant either a male or female embryo into the mother’s womb.
This process is not new. PGD is also commonly used to help detect genetic defects. According to research, in about 3% of the thousands of PGD procedures performed in the U.S. each year, couples also select the sex of their child.
For years, scientists have debated the ethical, health, and psychological implications of these selected children. The new trial is designed to determine the impact of gender selection. Researchers will study the physical health of the children and the social dynamics within families over time.
According to the journal Nature, gender selection for embryos has been banned in the UK, Canada, and several other countries, partly due to community concerns that it could lead to gender discrimination.
Researchers spent nine years obtaining permission for this trial, which started last month in Houston. Fifty couples expressed interest in participating, but the research team selected only a few couples—those who already have one child and want another of the opposite gender.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists oppose this gender selection practice.
However, according to Sandra Carson, the lead of the trial, the opposition from these organizations “is based on public opinion rather than evidence“. “Public opinion is important, but it should not be used to restrict something“, she stated.
In an independent survey earlier this year led by Tarun Jain at the University of Illinois, women undergoing infertility treatment reported that they would choose the gender of their child if given the opportunity.
“One of the concerns is that gender selection will lead parents to prefer a certain gender,” Jain said. “The assumption here is a preference for boys. However, our research does not support that. In fact, couples without children do not prefer boys over girls.”
T. An (according to LiveScience)
