PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Daniela E Cutas
AU  - Simona Giordano
TI  - Is it a boy or a girl? Who should (not) know children's sex and why?
AID  - 10.1136/medethics-2011-100415
DP  - 2013 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of Medical Ethics
PG  - 374--377
VI  - 39
IP  - 6
4099  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/39/6/374.short
4100  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/39/6/374.full
SO  - J Med Ethics2013 Jun 01; 39
AB  - In this paper, we present the case of a couple who refused to disclose the sex of their child to others, and some of the responses that this case prompted in the international media. We outline the ethical issues that this case raises, and we place it into the more general context of parental preferences regarding the gender (development) of their children and of the impact on children of parental choices in the matter. Based on current knowledge of gender identity development, we identify some of the potential pitfalls of such a course of action and we briefly present some alternative strategies that could be implemented in order to ensure more freedom of gender formation in children.