United States: Asians travel to the US to have a baby boy and the English to have a baby girl

Publié le 22 Jul, 2014

On Monday, we mentioned that gender selection was a current and disconcerting practice in Asia, starting with India which discriminates against and aborts female foetuses. It now appears that the United States is one of the countries practising this selection not in the case of selective abortion but in the equally controversial pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos obtained by IVF (Gènéthique press review on July 21st, 2014). An article published in Figaro Madame highlights the other side to this American selection market: whereas Asians opt for boys, the English want girls.

 
A highly controversial issue in Europe, gender selection is banned in the United Kingdom and France but not in the United States.
 
According to Dr. Daniel Potter who manages a fertility clinic in California, the number of English couples attending fertility clinics has increased by 20% in one year. Interviewed by The Telegraph, he explained that he treats ten British patients a month, not to mention numerous Australians and Canadians. Last year, almost one hundred patients passed through the American fertility clinics. Cost of the procedure: 15,000 dollars (11,000 €). 

 

Whereas this selective practice is the subject of campaigns to combat gender discrimination in countries where it is practised, Dr. Daniel Potter calmly believes that this practice does not pose a problem: “I believe that women should have the freedom to reproduce and that includes freedom to choose the gender of their child“.

 

Unlike Indian and, more generally Asian couples, almost 80% of the English couples attending these clinics want to have a baby girl, especially English women.

 madame.lefigaro.fr (Assma Maad) 22/07/2014 – Gènéthique

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