Christian campaigners have welcomed calls for a ban on pregnant women being told the sex of their baby over fears it is leading to girls being aborted.

Labour MPs have called for the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) – used by doctors to diagnose genetic conditions – to be banned for private use.

Naz Shah, shadow women and equalities minister, told the BBC it was morally wrong to use the test for gender selection in which a female foetus is aborted.

She said some communities, like the South Asian community, have a preference for boys and that this put great strain on women, 'forcing them to adopt methods such as NIPT to live up to expectations of family members'.

'NIPT screenings should be used for their intended purpose, to screen for serious conditions such as Down's syndrome,' she said.

'The government needs to look into this exploitative practice and enforce appropriate restrictions.'

CARE chief executive Nola Leach said: 'This is a very welcome call from the Labour party. Sex-selective abortion is completely discriminatory and should be explicitly outlawed in UK law.

'When this issue was voted on back in February 2015, many Labour MPs voted against an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill which would have clarified the current law on this issue. So it might be three years too late, but it's still good to see the party shifting its position in this positive way.'

However, she said there were 'still serious questions about the use of the non-invasive screening test and especially the way it all too often leads to babies with disabilities, including Down's syndrome, being aborted.

'We might have made great progress in society in terms of how we treat those with disabilities but it is utterly wrong that so many babies with Down's syndrome end up being terminated.'