Philadelphia Inquirer Examines Growing Trend Of Gender Selection

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 27 Feb 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday examined the growing desire of some parents-to-be to select the gender of their child. According to the Inquirer, it is a "brave new world in childbearing" where increased access "to procedures that can nearly guarantee the sex of a child" allows for the "freedom of parents-to-be to say what they really want." Vicki Glembocki -- author of "The Second Nine Months: One Woman Tells the Real Truth About Becoming a Mom" -- said that it is not surprising that women are using science to gain more control over reproduction, given recent increases in things like scheduled caesarean section births. Glembocki also said the trend of choosing a child's gender could help break the cultural taboo of having a gender preference. She said, "You are only allowed to say that you want a healthy baby. It is almost viewed as being superficial or insensitive to care about gender -- but a lot of people do."

The Inquirer reports that some people are "going to extraordinary lengths to pursue their gender dreams" and that "those without the cash or moral stomach for high-tech methods" are looking to "cheaper, albeit less reliable, options." Web sites like choosethesexofyourbaby.com or selectbabysex.com offer instructional DVDs and kits, many with money-back guarantees, the Inquirer reports. Additionally, some people take dietary supplements specially designed for each gender, consult with ancient Chinese gender calendars or have sex in recommended positions, the Inquirer reports. "Perhaps the best-known resource" is physician Landrum Shettle's "How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby," a book first published in 1960 that advises women to carefully coordinate intercourse with ovulation, according to the Inquirer. However, Daniel Potter of the Huntington Reproductive Center said that none of these methods has more than a 50/50 chance of determining the gender of an infant. He said that because they work half of the time, people begin to believe in the methods.

Some critics have voiced concerns about the practice of choosing the gender of a child, arguing that it could have negative psychological effects on the woman and infant. Nancy DePaul -- a family therapist of the Council for Relationships in Concordville, Pa. -- said that she is concerned that parents who are focused on their child's gender may be trying to fill a relationship void in their own lives, rather than focusing on the child's needs. She said that she "also fear[s] a child would get the message that they weren't enough."

Evelina Sterling, a professional infertility specialist and author of "Budgeting for Infertility: How to Bring Home a Baby Without Breaking the Bank," said that gender selection does not guarantee the parents will have the desired relationship with a child. She said, "There's an assumption for people who spend large amounts of money on family-building that somehow they should get what they are paying for. Biology doesn't always work like that. We have no control over what our children are going to end up being in the long term" (Bails, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/25).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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