U.S. Births Hint at Bias for Boys in Some Asians
The trend is buried deep in United States census data: seemingly minute deviations in the proportion of boys and girls born to Americans of Chinese, Indian and Korean descent.
In those families, if the first child was a girl, it was more likely that a second child would be a boy, according to recent studies of census data. If the first two children were girls, it was even more likely that a third child would be male.
Demographers say the statistical deviation among Asian-American families is significant, and they believe it reflects not only a preference for male children, but a growing tendency for these families to embrace sex-selection techniques, like in vitro fertilization and sperm sorting, or abortion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/nyregion/15babies.html?_r=1
Boy or Girl? Sex-Selective Abortions and the Next Generation of At-Home Tests
A new at-home test that claims to give prospective parents an early clue in determining the sex of a fetus is raising concerns in New Zealand that its debut there will increase the number of abortions.
The test-makers claim a 90 percent accuracy rate after 10 weeks (though that hasn't been independently verified), which doesn't approach the much greater accuracy of an ultrasound, typically done by a doctor at 18 weeks. The test, made by IntelliGender, is already available in the United States and has not yet been the subject of much controversy here, as the company has not claimed that it's meant to compete with or be used as a medical technology, like the ultrasound.
Still, some in New Zealand are worried that the tests could be viewed as such and used for sex selection. Via LiveScience, Dr. Ted Weaver of the The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is quoted saying, "The concern we would have is that people would then terminate pregnancies on the grounds of sex selection."
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/0...lective-abortions-and-the-next-generation-of/
The trend is buried deep in United States census data: seemingly minute deviations in the proportion of boys and girls born to Americans of Chinese, Indian and Korean descent.
In those families, if the first child was a girl, it was more likely that a second child would be a boy, according to recent studies of census data. If the first two children were girls, it was even more likely that a third child would be male.
Demographers say the statistical deviation among Asian-American families is significant, and they believe it reflects not only a preference for male children, but a growing tendency for these families to embrace sex-selection techniques, like in vitro fertilization and sperm sorting, or abortion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/nyregion/15babies.html?_r=1
Boy or Girl? Sex-Selective Abortions and the Next Generation of At-Home Tests
A new at-home test that claims to give prospective parents an early clue in determining the sex of a fetus is raising concerns in New Zealand that its debut there will increase the number of abortions.
The test-makers claim a 90 percent accuracy rate after 10 weeks (though that hasn't been independently verified), which doesn't approach the much greater accuracy of an ultrasound, typically done by a doctor at 18 weeks. The test, made by IntelliGender, is already available in the United States and has not yet been the subject of much controversy here, as the company has not claimed that it's meant to compete with or be used as a medical technology, like the ultrasound.
Still, some in New Zealand are worried that the tests could be viewed as such and used for sex selection. Via LiveScience, Dr. Ted Weaver of the The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is quoted saying, "The concern we would have is that people would then terminate pregnancies on the grounds of sex selection."
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/0...lective-abortions-and-the-next-generation-of/