Couple can't choose baby's sex

A couple who wanted to ensure that their next child would be a girl have been told that the ban on deciding a baby's sex is not going to be lifted.

A couple who wanted to ensure that their next child would be a girl have been told that the ban on deciding a baby's sex is not going to be lifted.

Alan and Louise Masterton, of Monifeith, near Dundee, already have four sons and lost their only daughter in a bonfire accident last year.

However, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates IVF fertilisation, said they would not change the rules banning sex selection except on medical grounds.

Ruth Deech, chair of the HFEA, said: "The public do not like, and we do not like the idea of designer babies."

The couple may now carry on their fight by using the European Convention on Human Rights to gain permission for the treatment.