Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The rise of gender reveals: a global health perspective

Steven G. Duncan
Policy
October 27, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

Pink or blue? Expectant parents want to know, and the question of what sex their baby will be has become a major enterprise in the English-speaking world over the past twenty years. Throwing full-size parties with binary balloons and a colored cake has come to represent a moment of celebration for families and excited followers on social media. In a world of constant comparison and one-upmanship, it’s usually the flashier, the better.

At first glance, the event seems delightful and harmless, like a baby shower with a twist. But what started out simple has come to involve elaborate pyrotechnics and other extreme displays (including guns, stunt cars, skydiving planes, and exotic animals), all fueled by an increasingly obsessive cultural climate and need for attention. Some participants have been issued serious criminal charges for reckless conduct. Over the past few years, misfired explosives at gender reveal parties have caused millions of dollars in damage by setting off wildfires in Arizona and California. In a tragedy, one woman in attendance was struck in the head by projectile debris from a homemade pipe bomb and was killed instantly.

Beyond the physical harm that can occur, many LGBT activists decry the practice as unnecessary reinforcement of gender stereotypes and heteronormative thinking. Reveal parties often operate under the assumption that gender roles are predetermined at birth and conformity will be expected. Perpetuating and imposing these views on an unborn baby can leave a bad taste in the mouth of people who faced rejection in their homes for not fitting the mold. Publicly emphasizing a child’s chromosomes may downplay more important aspects of their future identity.

In the medical field, finding out the fetus’s biological sex is typically accomplished via sonogram performed for separate health reasons. A statement from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine strongly discourages the use of ultrasound for nonmedical purposes, and imaging is not indicated solely for prenatal sex determination. In certain parts of the world, doctors are even more restricted in terms of disclosure.

In China, physicians are forbidden by law from revealing information about an infant’s sex before birth. The controversial one-child policy regrettably drove female infanticide since having a male child was socially preferred. Some Chinese mothers sought illegal ultrasounds and underground abortion services to ensure they would have a baby boy. As a result, the sex ratio became 120 males for every 100 females in certain regions. Similarly by law, doctors in India cannot share the anticipated biological sex with parents for fear that mothers will terminate their pregnancy if a girl is undesired.

Certain hospitals in Scotland have done away with prenatal sex determination to avoid potential legal repercussions. Parents can be verbally abusive and threaten to sue if hospital staff are unable to discern the sex or get it wrong. The development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has raised ethical questions about sex-selection and family balancing throughout the world. Medical and legal professionals must learn to navigate an ever-evolving cultural landscape to satisfy competing demands from legislatures, health care administrators, and patients.

Sex and gender are important in many sociocultural contexts, and discovering a child’s biological sex can be a meaningful experience for expecting couples. This opportunity is not accessible to over a billion women living in Eastern countries where laws were established to prevent discrimination against female fetuses. In the developing world, prenatal diagnostic imaging may be limited by a lack of ultrasound equipment and trained technicians. Where sex determination is legal and available, ridiculous gender reveal parties have caused massive destruction, potential harm to LGBT individuals, and needless loss of life.

Seeing a child before birth is a gift, and children should be celebrated for all parts of their identity. Learning the sex in pregnancy should be guarded as a special trust, not taken for granted or used as a spectacle for Instagram. This knowledge comes with great responsibility – an ultrasound wand might be mightier than the sword.

Steven G. Duncan is a medical student. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

5 life lessons COVID-19 has taught me

October 27, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

Loved ones: You’re with us, too

October 27, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
5 life lessons COVID-19 has taught me
Next Post >
Loved ones: You’re with us, too

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • 3 ways to advance the credibility of online health information

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • A health care headache from a patient’s perspective

    Sandi Russ
  • The gender imbalance in nursing

    Cole Edmonson, DNP and Paulette Anest, RN

More in Policy

  • How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

    Brian Sutter
  • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

    Ilan Shapiro, MD
  • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    BJ Ferguson
  • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

    Carlin Lockwood
  • What Adam Smith would say about America’s for-profit health care

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

    Michael Misialek, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...