I think these people don’t qualify for the "10 Ways You're a Great Parent" list. A couple from Birmingham, England dumped their twin daughters at a British hospital because they were girls.
The couple, 59 (!) and 72 (!!), traveled to India for fertility treatment and conceived the babies via IVF. Immediately after the babies were delivered by C-section, the couple told medical staff at the hospital in Wolverton that they didn’t want the babies because they were the wrong gender. Also the father was apparently very keen to find out when they could fly out again for another round of IVF so they could try for a boy to carry on the family name.
Now, if carrying on the family name were so important, I've gotta wonder why this couple didn’t get around to reproducing until they were old enough to qualify for senior discounts. And while I understand that having a boy is much more important in some cultures (this couple is Indian) you've got to realize you roll the genetic dice when you have a kid and deal with whatever happens.
Sex selection is apparently a huge problem in India because of the cultural preference for boys. It's been banned since 1996, but according to Unesco, there's a thriving subculture of doctors who will perform ultrasounds and then abortions if the fetus is found to be the wrong sex. No matter how pro-choice you are, that's a little hard to take. Let's hope these little girls find a loving adoptive home.
