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Resolution 1829 (2011) Final version
Prenatal sex selection
1. A preference for sons and discrimination
against women are so widespread in the world that, spontaneously
or under pressure, millions of women decide not to give birth to
daughters, who are considered as a burden for their family and unable
to perpetuate the family lineage.
2. Sex selection is a huge problem in some Asian countries, where
the selective abortion of females, together with the killing of
female newborns has been practised for decades. Prenatal sex selection
is indicated by a “skewed sex ratio”, meaning a departure from the
natural average sex ratio at birth of 105 boys for 100 girls. This
tends to increase as the number of children goes up in a family,
or when there are legal or economic restrictions to the size of
the family.
3. There is strong evidence that prenatal sex selection is not
limited to Asia. In recent years, a departure from the natural sex
ratio at birth has been observed in a number of Council of Europe
member states and has reached worrying proportions in Albania, Armenia
and Azerbaijan, where the sex ratio at birth is 112 boys for 100
girls and in Georgia where it is 111 boys for 100 girls.
4. The Parliamentary Assembly condemns the practice of prenatal
sex selection as a phenomenon which finds its roots in a culture
of gender inequality and reinforces a climate of violence against
women, contrary to the values upheld by the Council of Europe.
5. Recalling the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and
Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No.
210), the Assembly believes that the social and family pressure
placed on women not to pursue their pregnancy because of the sex
of the embryo/foetus is to be considered as a form of psychological
violence and that the practice of forced abortions is to be criminalised.
6. The Assembly wishes to warn Council of Europe member states
against the social consequences of prenatal sex selection, namely
population imbalances which are likely to create difficulties for
men to find spouses, lead to serious human rights violations such
as forced prostitution, trafficking for the purposes of marriage
or sexual exploitation, and contribute to a rise in criminality
and social unrest.
7. In line with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights
and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of
Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
(ETS No. 164), the Assembly believes that, in the context of assisted
reproduction technologies such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis,
prenatal sex selection should be resorted to only to avoid serious
hereditary diseases linked to one sex.
8. In view of these considerations, the Assembly calls on the
member states to:
8.1. collect the
sex ratio at birth, monitor its development and take prompt action
to tackle possible imbalances;
8.2. encourage research on sex ratios at birth among specific
communities;
8.3. collect data on sex selection in the context of the use
of all techniques of medically assisted procreation;
8.4. promote research on the causes of prenatal sex selection
and its social consequences;
8.5. encourage national ethics bodies to elaborate and introduce
guidelines for medical staff, discouraging prenatal sex selection
by whatever method, unless justified for the prevention of serious sex-linked
genetic diseases;
8.6. recommend that all relevant public authorities issue guidelines
to all medical staff who work in this field so that when information
is provided on the sex of the foetus – in line with existing legal regulations
– such information is presented positively, irrespective of the
sex;
8.7. introduce legislation with a view to prohibiting sex selection
in the context of assisted reproduction technologies and legal abortion,
except when it is justified to avoid a serious hereditary disease;
8.8. report back to the Council of Europe in January 2015 on
the effect of the measures in this paragraph.
9. In addition, the Assembly calls on the authorities of Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to:
9.1. investigate the causes and reasons behind skewed sex ratios
at birth;
9.2. step up their efforts to raise the status of women in
society and ensure effective implementation of laws and policies
on gender equality and non-discrimination;
9.3. ensure the collection of reliable data on sex ratios at
birth, including in different geographical areas within the same
country, and ensure monitoring of their evolution;
9.4. organise and/or support the organisation of public awareness-raising
initiatives and campaigns on prenatal sex selection and its harmful
consequences, involving relevant international organisations, including
the Council of Europe;
9.5. monitor and analyse the impact of campaigns, laws and
policies and, first and foremost, the implementation of laws and
policies on gender equality;
9.6. organise and support training for medical staff on prenatal
sex selection and its harmful consequences.
10. The Assembly encourages the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the
World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen their work on combating
prenatal sex selection.
11. It also recommends that the United Nations Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women look at the issue of
prenatal sex selection, in general as a phenomenon which stems and
reinforces discrimination against women, and more specifically when
reviewing the situation in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.