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Choosing the sex of babies for social reasons will be banned, Health Minister Caroline Flint has said.
The government intends to change the law to outlaw sex selection for non-medical reasons, she said.
Using the method for "family balancing" could be a "slippery slope in terms of people deciding that one gender is more important than the other", she said.
But Lib Dem Evan Harris says it is wrong for the state to restrict the reproductive choice of adults.
'Yuk' factor
Ms Flint made her comments during evidence to the science and technology committee, which is investigating IVF and embryo screening.
She told the MPs that there was some understanding about the use of sex selection of embryos where there was a serious medical condition, but it should not be for "family balancing".
"We will be looking to see how we can make that clear in law so there is a very strong steer to the regulator about how that can be applied," she said.
But Dr Harris, a member of the science and technology committee, said: "Other than the...