European ruling which would stop parents knowing sex of unborn child

[Sandra2011]

Parents could be prohibited from learning the sex of their unborn baby if a European ruling is observed.

Doctors should be told to 'withhold information about the sex of the foetus', according to a draft resolution passed by a Council of Europe equal opportunities committee.

The proposal is a reaction to the practice of selectively aborting foetuses - usually female - which is said to be growing in some former Soviet states which are also members of the council.

It would apply to all 47 member states, including the UK.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2036197/European-ruling-stop-parents-knowing-sex-unborn-child-provokes-anger.html

Well there are hospitals here that won't tell you anyway, also due to selective abortions. In a hospital I worked in it was males who were being aborted, though I suspect that is rare.

I don't see the problem with not finding out during the pregnancy unless there is a medical reason for finding out.

Everyone finds out what it is in the end anyway.

It's a recommendation, not a law, and it has a very good aim at its heart: to avoid babies being aborted because of their gender. I wish Justine from Mumsnet had at least commented on that issue as well.

Also, Daily Mail readers should really start to learn the difference between the EU and the Council of Europe, they are not the same organisation.

I really wouldn't be too bothered if I couldn't find out the sex of my baby until it was born but I am not sure that laws that are appropriate in former soviet states are also appropriate here.

how would that work with the 3 and 4d scans then?

where the untrained eye can see clearly the babies sex

I agree ciske. Saying that it is not appropriate in Britain is not true either. I know of several women who had late abortions (as in beyond 20wks) not for medical reasons but purely for the purpose of ridding themselves of a female baby. It happens.

The problem is that the law about late abortions is already flouted. If such a recommendation were to become law, then there would always be unscrupulous obstetricians who would provide the info anyway and then carry on with the late abortions.

Unfortunately, although I appreciate the usefulness of scans for medical purposes, this is another thing which has escaped out of Pandora's box.

if the law really does say that 'doctors should be told to withold information' then if you see it for yourself it's not against the law! Also, does that mean that ultrasonographers can tell you? as they are most often doing the scans anyway - ha ha.
btw I can't be bothered to read the link, it would probably answer my question if i did

button that shocks me and it totally disgraceful. imo abortions that late on for anything other than medical reasons should be illegal anyway.

It's a scaremongering Daily Mail article...

ciwi they are illegal. That's my point. There's always a way of getting what you want if you pay enough for it.

And of course it's disgraceful. Abortion at any age purely on sex grounds is wrong.

And aren't their some chromozonal abnormalities that are related to gender? That's why when I got my amnio results they could tell me the sex.

would make shopping harde, sales of yellow baby clothes would increase....

bit stupid of me I should have known that I just thought with you saying you knew people it was done through the right channels. Like you said though, people will always get around it. I recently watched a documentary based in india where they have back street scan clinics who will then arrange an abortion at a cost (usually for girls).

nailak that would be good though. When I had my 1st nearly 14 years ago there were lots of unisex clothes. This time (ds born 2 months ago) I really struggled!

Why on earth is this being called a 'ruling'?

A committee is making a recommendation to the European Parliament, which the Parliament is surely bound to ignore, asking it to "consider recommending public hospitals to instruct doctors to withhold information about the sex of the foetus, or at least ensure that this information is given in a positive way, irrespective of the sex of the foetus." This quote comes from the Torygraph's similarly misleadingly titled story: www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8754811/Parents-could-be-barred-from-knowing-the-sex-of-their-unborn-baby-by-European-ruling.html

Consider. Recommending. In other words 'think about suggesting'.

I mean, I think it's a stupid idea that could never be implemented, not least because lots of congenital disabilities are related to a baby's sex, but it's not exactly a law that's about to be enacted.

My family weren't able to find out the sex of their babies (me, my cousins) at Luton hospital 15-20 years ago, because of this reason. The hospital had a blanket ban on informing parents of babies sex. So it's hardly breaking news!

it would never be implemented properly - there would be backstreet scanning places just as there is backstreet abortion clinics - if people are that desperate there will always be someone to assist.

my sis in north london couldnt find out the sex last year...

I would consider it against my rights to have my doctor withhold information from me in this way. If the medical professional who is a complete stranger can see and knows, then I should know too (if I want to).

On a more serious note, the abortion problem is terrible and a shock to me that people do use gender as a reason for late abortion. Though I don't think this 'recommendation' is the answer.