Japanese clinic performs sex selection

KOBE, Japan, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A maternity clinic in Kobe has performed the first sex selection of a human embryo in Japan using a controversial genetic diagnosis method.

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology put limits on use of the technique in 1998, specifying it should only be used to prevent incurable hereditary diseases, the Kyodo news service reported Thursday.

Critics say the method encourages sex selection because unwanted fertilized eggs can be discarded.

Some also worry that the procedure could lead to eugenics and discrimination on the basis of disabilities or genetic disorders.

The Japanese government has not approved the method for sex selection.