Australian Influencer Sparks Debate After Spending AU$45,000 On Gender-Selective IVF In US

An Australian influencer has sparked controversy after traveling to the U.S. for gender-selective fertility treatment, for which she reportedly spent AU$45,000 at a Los Angeles clinic.

Caitlin Bailey, mother of two boys and one girl, sought a second daughter and worked with Gender Selection Australia (GSA) to connect with California-based doctor Daniel Potter, who specialized in gender selection and genetic disease screening.

Gender selection for family balancing is banned in Australia, prompting many families to travel overseas for IVF, as stated by GSA's official website. In Australia, gender selection is only allowed to prevent serious genetic conditions.

Public divided as gender selection debate resurfaces

Bailey's decision sparked mixed reactions online. Some believe gender selection should only be used for medical reasons, while others supported her choice, with several IVF parents sharing that they were just grateful for a healthy baby, regardless of gender, News AU reported.

One parent said gender selection was acceptable for genetic reasons but not for preference. Others felt the choice depends on personal reasons, stating she was happy with her healthy daughter after IVF, regardless of gender.

A reporter named Andrew McCormack also spoke about this debate and said, "It's been 10 years since medical experts have reviewed whether or not it is legal to select the gender of the child in Australia," 7 News reported. "It costs around $8500 extra on top of your IVF treatment to choose the gender of your child."

Limited legality, hidden practice

Lauren Hiser, scientific director at Connect IVF, explained that while the sex of an embryo can be determined before transfer, gender selection is only permitted when linked to genetic conditions.

Gender selection was allowed in New South Wales (NSW) between 1999 and 2004, mainly for family balancing. Hiser explained that people often assume sex selection means choosing boys over girls, but past data from NSW showed no shift in gender ratios.

"In the patients that were able to select based solely on sex, they were choosing more girls and doing it for family balancing reasons," she added. "But sex selection is happening in Australia, it's just not happening within the IVF realm."

Gender bias and sex-selective practices

A La Trobe University study found that some Australian families were ending pregnancies after using non-invasive tests to learn their baby's gender.

The research showed a cultural preference for boys in certain ethnic groups, especially among Indian and Chinese-born mothers in Victoria. Between 1999 and 2015, these groups had more male births than the global average.

Lead researcher Kristina Edvardsson said some women may be choosing to terminate pregnancies after learning they were expecting girls, while others might travel overseas to access gender selection through IVF.