Boy or Girl?

Three Israeli scientists last week said they have found a surefire method of determining a baby's sex before birth.

The method is based on the fact, demonstrated by Canadian scientists (TIME, Feb. 23, 1953), that a substance called sex chromatin can be detected in female but not in male cells. Dr. David Serr and Geneticists Leo Sachs and Mathilde Danon of Jerusalem's Rothschild-Hadassah University Hospital reasoned that cells in the amniotic fluid, the liquid inside the sac that encloses the fetus, could be analyzed to reveal the child's sex. To get small samples of the fluid, they inserted an extremely fine hypodermic needle through the vagina and into the sac.

In 20 cases the researchers were 100% right in determining the baby's sex before birth. So far they have confined their tests to women about to give birth, but they believe the test can be used after the twelfth week.

The Israeli scientists claim that their test is safe. But many other doctors believe that such tests are dangerous and may harm the child or mother. At any rate, nothing can be done but wait for birth to see whether the test is correct.

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