The issue of sex selection in Turkey.

In accordance with a recent decision of the High Health Council, which is the highest advisory Council of the Ministry of Health, and following 6 months of debate, the clinical application of sex selection methods when there are no medical indications has been restricted in Turkey. The participants of the debate were the Turkish counterparts of Dr R.J. Ericsson, who is the owner of the patent of the sperm separation method, the General Directorate of Mother and Child Health and Family Planning, the Ethical Committee of the Turkish Medical Association, the Legal Consultancy of the Ministry of Health and the whole community through the press and television programmes. Many reports concerning sex selection were prepared that were opposed to the application of the Ericsson method when there were no medical indications, depending on ethical and technical considerations. The debate also induced ethical discussions about other related subjects, such as recent improvements in reproductive technologies, prenatal diagnosis and the Human Genome Project.