Doctors seek to limit sex selection of test-tube babies
Gender selection for test-tube babies on the grounds of hereditary disorders should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances, legislators will be told today.
Compiling a list of severe sex-linked genetic disorders for the purpose of gender selection is impossible and impractical in most cases, the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians says in a government paper on the Human Reproductive Technology Bill to be discussed today.
Deciding which conditions warrant abortion is subjective, it says, and so likely to change.
'The college suggests the family concerned should receive proper and comprehensive genetic counselling from qualified professionals so that an informed decision can be made by the parents,' the paper reads.
Dr Leong Che-hung, a member of the Provisional Council on Reproductive Technology, said the council did not want to see a list of sex-linked genetic diseases included in the law.
'It would be meaningless to include the list in law as the range of severeness of sex-linked genetic diseases could vary substantially from one case to another,' he said.
It could be subject to abuse if, for instance, colour-blindness was included.
Examples of sex-linked genetic diseases included certain cases of mental retardation and muscular dystrophy.
For a small number of serious genetic disorders that might escape pre-natal diagnosis, the college says sex selection should be a last resort.
