Let nature decide

A run on the SAR's only clinic helping couples to conceive a baby of their preferred sex, mostly male, in anticipation of a ban underscores a need for the prohibition.

There is a preference in many cultures for the birth of boys rather than girls -- sexual discrimination that touches on a number of social and ethical issues.

Now that advances in medical technology have allowed a baby of the "right" sex to be conceived, one may argue that it should be encouraged instead of being banned, because it prevents unwanted babies from being born.

Pushed to an extreme, sex selection techniques could be regarded as the greatest invention ever because they can stop infanticide on the grounds of sex. Such thoughts are clearly dangerous.

Sex selection is intrinsically wrong. Whether achieved through brutal killings or "painless" science, the practice is still repugnant because it reinforces gender discrimination.

In some communities where boys are favored and girls routinely made to "disappear", an imbalance of the two sexes has led to a involuntary celibacy.

The medical technology of producing designer babies is both amazing and disturbing. Although the preference for boys is primarily driven by social values, its widespread acceptance and accomplishment through scientific means would be worrying.

For one thing, it would be a step backwards to eugenics, or the selection of parents who will produce the strongest children, with all its grave implications.

The Human Reproductive Technology Bill will ban sex selection of babies on social grounds. Only selection on medical grounds, such as avoiding sex-linked genetic diseases, will be allowed. This is the right approach.

-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong