Gene lab banned over test for sex (1)

A Hong Kong biotechnology laboratory has been banned by private hospitals amid fears that mainland mums-to-be are using its services for unethical sex selection.

Doctors believe that some women are abusing a genetic test offered by DiagCor Bioscience which can identify the sex of a baby and its chances of developing a severe sex-linked genetic disorder. Parents who have a family history of a severe genetic disorder use this test to determine the chances of the fetus developing a severe genetic disease.

DiagCor in Kowloon Bay is the only laboratory to offer the test, which isolates fetal genes in the mother's blood.

The abortion of female fetuses is notorious in the mainland under the one-child policy. Hong Kong has become a destination for fetal sexing because mainland doctors may not disclose such information.

This issue has come to light days after Hong Kong set quotas for deliveries for mainland mothers next year - capped at 34,400, of which 31,000 will be at private hospitals and 3,400 at public hospitals. The government announced the quotas to ease pressure on services and allay fears among Hong Kong mothers-to-be that they will not get a bed.

DiagCor's test can be done as early as in the eighth week of pregnancy, compared with about 15 to 16 weeks for an ultrasound scan, doctors say.

If the test detects the presence of an XY chromosome pair, this confirms that the baby is a boy. An XX chromosome pair means it is a girl.

Although the test can determine the sex of a fetus, DiagCor says it has never been promoted as a tool for selection.

The College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has discussed the ethical issues related to the test but failed to reach a decision on what it should do. Expressing concerns on gender selection, the college held a special seminar for doctors last month on issues related to the test.

In Hong Kong, it is illegal to choose the sex of a child for non-medical reasons in assisted human reproduction treatment. But there is no law prohibiting fetal sexing.

At least four major private hospitals - Baptist Hospital, Union Hospital, St Paul's Hospital and the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital - have banned the test, which is still available at a cost of a few thousand dollars through private practitioners.

Doctors said the laboratory reports had recently been made available in Chinese, making them more popular with mainland parents.

Private obstetrician Dr Grace Wong Ying said she encountered at least one to two mainland mothers each month who specifically requested the test.

Reference information:  Sunday Morning Post
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