Strong action against revealing the gender of the fetus

On Facebook, it is easy to find advertisements with content about giving birth to children of your choice or testing the gender of the fetus. Many groups have been created and operate openly, with the number of members ranging from a few thousand to about 300,000. Among them, many accounts are "decoys" to lure or gain the trust of customers.

Contacting the account “Genhome NIPT-DNA-XY gender test”, we were advised of a blood test service to determine the gender of the fetus at a cost of 3.2 million VND for fetuses from 6 weeks old, 100% accurate, nationwide sampling, same-day results. When asked if the gender result of the fetus is not as expected, can the pregnancy be terminated, the consultant committed that it can be done.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Trung, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Campus 2, affirmed that the law absolutely prohibits any act of revealing the gender of the fetus in any form, except for cases of screening for genetic diseases with medical indications. Choosing the gender of the fetus is a frustrating reality that has existed for many generations due to the view of "need for a son to continue the family line" as well as gender prejudice.

According to medical experts, the above situation has the "complicit" of a number of medical staff when revealing the gender of the fetus. In addition, there are many facilities that perform blood tests, NIPT tests (non-invasive prenatal screening) and indirectly determine the gender of the fetus according to customer needs.

With the development of medicine, the practice of actively intervening to give birth as desired is becoming more and more popular, leading to serious consequences for the population. According to estimates by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), each year in Vietnam, nearly 46,000 fetuses are not born because they are female.

The National Report on Civil Registration and Statistics for the 2021-2024 period shows that the sex ratio at birth in Vietnam is 109.8 boys/100 girls. In 2024 alone, this ratio will be 110.7 boys/100 girls - far exceeding the natural balance. If not improved, by 2034, Vietnam will have a surplus of 1.5 million men aged 15-49.

The recent draft of the Population Law has added a number of provisions on policies and measures to maintain replacement fertility and reduce gender imbalance at birth. Notably, it proposes to suspend medical staff who inform or disclose the gender of the fetus to customers (except in cases of medical need).

At the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on October 8, some opinions proposed to adjust the regulations in a more comprehensive direction; expand the scope of handling, apply to all acts affecting the selection of the sex of the fetus. It is expected that the draft Law on Population will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval at the 10th session.

GIAO SPIRIT

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/manh-tay-xu-ly-tiet-lo-gioi-tinh-thai-nhi-post819095.html