Recent advances in IVF now allow parents to choose their baby’s gender with near-total accuracy, but the practice raises ethical, financial, and legal debates.
Recent advances in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) have made it possible for couples to select their baby’s gender before pregnancy, a process experts say is “nearly 100% accurate.” The method, known as Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT), examines embryos after five days of development to identify sex chromosomes before implantation.
Originally designed to prevent sex-linked disorders like hemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, gender selection is now increasingly used for personal reasons, such as “family balancing.” However, it comes with steep costs. The Nevada Fertility Center notes that sex selection adds $1,000 to $4,000 to already expensive IVF procedures.
The practice has sparked global ethical concerns. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) cautions that non-medical use could encourage bias and “commercialization of reproduction.” Laws also differ across countries: while the United States permits elective sex selection, many nations only allow it for medical purposes.
Studies show male embryos are chosen more frequently, with ratios as high as 164 males for every 100 females.