Do gender kits influence abortion?

Mail-order blood-testing kits that can determine the sex of a fetus early in pregnancy may be used for more than getting a jumpstart on deciding whether to paint the nursery pink or blue, says a doctors group.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada says the results of the early tests could be used by parents to decide whether to continue the pregnancy or abort the fetus solely based on its gender.

Using the kits to choose a baby's sex through selective abortion is a practice the SOGC "is firmly against," said president Dr. Donald Davis, calling the use of tests for that purpose discriminatory and unethical.

The SOGC unveiled its official position on the gender-testing kits Thursday, at the beginning of its six-day annual meeting in Ottawa.

LINK: The Toronto Star