This controversial parenting trend has been dividing families. Would you pay thousands for this service?
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Parenting has been seen as one of the joys of life.
Many grandparents treasure their grandchildren as they have a hand in nurturing them as they grow.
Yet, for a growing number of Australian families, raising a family has become a costly reality.
The debate over 'designer babies' has been re-ignited once again.
Melbourne-based mum and online content creator Caitlin Bailey recently revealed that she spent tens of thousands of dollars overseas to select the sex of her fourth child.
For the mum-of-three, Caitlin wanted a 'balanced' family.
Already a mum to two boys and a girl, she wanted to add another girl to the mix.
'If we've got technology that allows us to do this and it's not hurting anybody, I don't understand why it's not an option in Australia,' she shared in an interview.
Her story has sparked heated discussion across the country.
Caitlyn Bailey went through pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT).
Embryos created via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are being screened for their chromosomes.
This process lets doctors select and implant embryos of the desired sex.
The cost for a pre-implantation genetic testing process may be up to $45,000.
While the process has been legal in some countries, it's been banned for non-medical reasons in Australia since 2004.
Under current Australian laws, sex selection is only allowed if there's a significant risk of passing on severe genetic conditions that affect one sex more than the other.
An example of these cases includes conditions like haemophilia and muscular dystrophy, often passed down to male children.
'If there's a nasty genetic disease that could potentially be passed down from the parents too, and it's limited to one sex, you could then select the female embryo to plant to make sure that genetic disease is not passed on,' children's rights specialist Professor Paula Gerber explained.
Yet, when it comes to choosing a child's sex based on personal preference or the desire for a 'balanced' family, the answer is no.
The idea of picking a child's sex for non-medical reasons raised several ethical concerns.
Professor Gerber warned that it could reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and even contribute to gender inequality.
'Australia still has serious problems with gender equality, with males being preferred over women, and we're trying to overcome that gender inequality,' Professor Gerber said.
'We're trying to combat gender-based violence, and increasing the percentage of males in the population compared to females is going in the opposite direction.'
Professor Gerber also pointed out countries like China and their strong cultural preference for sons.
Combined with the one-child policy, these conditions led to a significant gender imbalance in the country.
'When they got to the age where they wanted to partner and marry and have children, suddenly there weren't enough women for all the men.'
The process may also affect children more psychologically.
'What do you tell your existing child? "Oh, look, I'm desperate for another one, but I want to make sure I don't have another one like you,"' Professor Gerber asked.
'And you're also creating embryos that are then just going to be discarded if they're not of the sex that you want.'
According to surveys, about 80 per cent of Australians oppose non-medical sex selection.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) both reviewed the issue over the years and concluded that there's no new evidence to justify changes towards the current laws.
Learn more about pre-implantation genetic testing here:
Source: Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine/YouTube
While the NHMRC has been providing national ethical guidance, the regulation of clinical practices ultimately falls to individual states and territories.
For now, the national guidelines remain unchanged, with a strong focus on protecting against gender bias and maintaining ethical safeguards in reproductive medicine.
However, supporters of sex selection for 'family balancing' stated that it's a matter of reproductive autonomy.
Supporters argued that the technology is safe and strict guidelines could prevent abuse.
Professor Gerber acknowledged that some parents' strong preference for a child of a particular sex may stem from deeper emotional or psychological reasons.
'If you have a mother who feels strongly about wanting a child of a particular sex, then you need to have counselling and conversations with them about that,' she said.
What do you think of this prevalent trend among families? Do you think the law should change, or are you concerned about the consequences of the said procedure? We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments section below.
Many grandparents treasure their grandchildren as they have a hand in nurturing them as they grow.
Yet, for a growing number of Australian families, raising a family has become a costly reality.
The debate over 'designer babies' has been re-ignited once again.
Melbourne-based mum and online content creator Caitlin Bailey recently revealed that she spent tens of thousands of dollars overseas to select the sex of her fourth child.
For the mum-of-three, Caitlin wanted a 'balanced' family.
Already a mum to two boys and a girl, she wanted to add another girl to the mix.
A growing number of families rely on technology to create their ideal household. Image Credit: Pexels/RDNE Stock Project
'If we've got technology that allows us to do this and it's not hurting anybody, I don't understand why it's not an option in Australia,' she shared in an interview.
Her story has sparked heated discussion across the country.
Caitlyn Bailey went through pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT).
Embryos created via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are being screened for their chromosomes.
This process lets doctors select and implant embryos of the desired sex.
The cost for a pre-implantation genetic testing process may be up to $45,000.
While the process has been legal in some countries, it's been banned for non-medical reasons in Australia since 2004.
Under current Australian laws, sex selection is only allowed if there's a significant risk of passing on severe genetic conditions that affect one sex more than the other.
An example of these cases includes conditions like haemophilia and muscular dystrophy, often passed down to male children.
'If there's a nasty genetic disease that could potentially be passed down from the parents too, and it's limited to one sex, you could then select the female embryo to plant to make sure that genetic disease is not passed on,' children's rights specialist Professor Paula Gerber explained.
Yet, when it comes to choosing a child's sex based on personal preference or the desire for a 'balanced' family, the answer is no.
The idea of picking a child's sex for non-medical reasons raised several ethical concerns.
Professor Gerber warned that it could reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and even contribute to gender inequality.
'Australia still has serious problems with gender equality, with males being preferred over women, and we're trying to overcome that gender inequality,' Professor Gerber said.
'We're trying to combat gender-based violence, and increasing the percentage of males in the population compared to females is going in the opposite direction.'
Professor Gerber also pointed out countries like China and their strong cultural preference for sons.
Combined with the one-child policy, these conditions led to a significant gender imbalance in the country.
'When they got to the age where they wanted to partner and marry and have children, suddenly there weren't enough women for all the men.'
The process may also affect children more psychologically.
'What do you tell your existing child? "Oh, look, I'm desperate for another one, but I want to make sure I don't have another one like you,"' Professor Gerber asked.
'And you're also creating embryos that are then just going to be discarded if they're not of the sex that you want.'
According to surveys, about 80 per cent of Australians oppose non-medical sex selection.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) both reviewed the issue over the years and concluded that there's no new evidence to justify changes towards the current laws.
Learn more about pre-implantation genetic testing here:
Source: Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine/YouTube
While the NHMRC has been providing national ethical guidance, the regulation of clinical practices ultimately falls to individual states and territories.
For now, the national guidelines remain unchanged, with a strong focus on protecting against gender bias and maintaining ethical safeguards in reproductive medicine.
However, supporters of sex selection for 'family balancing' stated that it's a matter of reproductive autonomy.
Supporters argued that the technology is safe and strict guidelines could prevent abuse.
Professor Gerber acknowledged that some parents' strong preference for a child of a particular sex may stem from deeper emotional or psychological reasons.
'If you have a mother who feels strongly about wanting a child of a particular sex, then you need to have counselling and conversations with them about that,' she said.
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