London, England, Sep 18, 2018 / 13:30 pm
British politicians have called for a review of the availability of early sex detection tests for pregnant women. The proposal was made by Labour Members of Parliament and prompted by concerns that the tests are leading to sex-selective abortions.
The MP's expressed particular concern that women, especially those in the UK's Asian communities, are being pressured or coerced into having an abortion if they are pregnant with a girl.
Labour MP Naz Shah said it was "morally wrong" that women are using the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) to determine whether or not they are pregnant with a girl, and then scheduling an abortion based on the result. Shah, the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, called for a government investigation into the practice.
The call for government intervention against the practice comes almost 18 months after the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a government-funded think tank, found that NIPT promoted sex-selective abortions.