The menace of foeticide, particularly female foeticide is rampant in Indian societies at large. It should not surprise anyone that over 5 lakh foetuses are killed at various stages of viability.
Development of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool has revolutionised the medical management but proved to be detrimental to this selective killing of female foetuses. Earlier methods of Amniotic fluid analysis for sex determination were neither easy nor widely available. In the last 25 years, access to and ease of ultrasound has prevented over a crore of girls from ever been born.
The skewed sex ratio in some states of India is quite shocking. Many towns and villages are left with very few girls in the age of 0-15 years. Young men are going to far-off states to choose (read buy) a girl to continue the families. This all in spite our laws holding sex selection to be a criminal offence punishable with 3-5 years imprisonment and fines of Rs.10,000 to 50,000 under the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 (PNDT Act, 1994). The rules have been amended again and again to make them more stringent for all, especially medical professionals. But alas, convictions are far and too few. Delayed justice delivery system, rampant corruption at all levels of enforcement is most responsible for this sad state of affairs.
The PNDT Act permits genetic analysis and sex determination under only supervision of Central Supervisory Board constituted under the Act in cases where at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:
Age of woman above 35 years,
Pregnant woman has suffered at least two spontaneous abortions,
Woman or her spouse has history of genetic disease, physical or mental deformities, spasticity in family
Exposed to potentially harmful drugs, radiation, infections or chemicals or any other condition specified by Board.
All with the conditions that no attempt to disclose the sex to woman or her family. All the causes, circumstances have to be reduced in writing and all documents kept confidential with procedure prescribed by the Supervisory Board.
The Act does not lack teeth, but its implementation does. It is amusing that a more difficult study by ultrasound costs Rs.300-500, but sex determination is charged at Rs. 1000-5000. The rates are higher if the study reveals it to be a male child.
Why this preference for male child?
The family continuity depends on sons. Despite law, certain societies do not let women inherit parental properties or retain its wealth.
Boys bring dowry in marriage to increase their wealth, whereas the girls require dowry to be given at marriage. Some significant gifts are required for various festivals and occasions throughout matrimonial lives of the woman including for marriage of her children or grandchildren i.e. a constant burden socially and economically.
A woman’s status is still considered inadequate unless she produces at least a son, preferably sons. In educated families, small family norm has made the expectation of producing that son sooner. They don’t want many girls to be born before that ‘mandatory’ son.
What is more astonishing that in many cases, these feelings are restricted to speeches and writings. When it comes to the family of such social reforming persons, they also want at least one son.
It was thought to be prevalent among uneducated and less well-off families but surveys have a different story to tell. The sex ratio was more skewed in the posh colonies of South Delhi and South Bombay.
As if this was not enough, there is another sad story to add, the use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills is now openly advertised in electronic media. This has encouraged the sexually active teenagers to use the pills as regular method even many times in a month. Thereby, putting the grave danger of blood clotting in the veins of the girl. Also there are risks of deformities or death of foetus if pregnancy had already existed. Even the most advanced country, USA, has not approved of the advertisement and misuse of pills in this manner.
If we all do not join hands to wipe this malady of selective foeticide from the face of this society, the day of our extinction is certainly not far. Till then let us all hang our heads in shame for calling ourselves evolved and modern.