A British fertility watchdog has said it opposes couples choosing the sex of their child except for medical reasons.
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The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has come to the conclusion sex selection should only be used to avoid serious gender-linked disorders, such as haemophilia.
The authority said its research had shown that the vast majority of the public were opposed to people being allowed to choose whether they have a boy or girl for social or "family balancing" reasons.
Its recommendations to the British government will come as a blow to couples who believe they should have the right to choose the sex of their child, many of whom are willing to travel abroad for treatment which is not legal here.
But religious and ethical groups have opposed such a move, believing it would lead to a "slippery slope" of children being selected or de-selected on the basis of more minor issues such as appearance or lesser medical problems.
The HFEA's review was prompted by a request from the British government and included a public consultation showing that 80 per cent of people in Britain and Northern Ireland were opposed to gender selection for non-medical reasons.
In its recommendations, the HFEA said techniques involving sperm sorting - which differentiate between male and female sperm - should be regulated.
At the moment where the fresh sperm of a woman's partner is used for insemination, sperm sorting is not licensed or regulated by the HFEA. But licensing is necessary for clinics offering IVF, sperm storage or preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - where embryos are selected by sex before being returned to the mother.
HFEA chairwoman Ms Suzi Leather said: "It has taken us over a year to reach conclusions because of their far-reaching nature. But it is clear that most people are against sex selection for social reasons.
British government ministers will now consider the report's recommendations and decide what action needs to be taken to change legislation if necessary.
PA
