Edinburgh, Scotland, Feb 5, 2019 / 16:01 pm
Some hospitals in Scotland have stopped telling expectant parents the sex of their unborn baby due to fears of legal action in cases of mistakes, the potential to encourage sex-selective abortion, and hostility to hospital staff from parents.
Four of the 14 National Health Service boards in Scotland, which may set their own practices, do not reveal the unborn baby's sex, the Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post reports. These include NHS Forth Valley sonographers, as well as those at hospitals in Orkney and Shetland.
The differences among localities were noted by Annie Wells, a Minister of the Scottish Parliament and Conservative Party spokeswoman for Mental Health, Public Health and Equalities, who said that "parents will be confused at this apparent postcode lottery."
There are fears that some parents may abort unborn babies based on the result of the sonography, which have led to some refusals to tell the baby's sex. Parents who were told the wrong sex of their baby have threatened legal action, as well.