Missing at birth: on sex-selective abortion and infanticide

Key Facts

Introduction

• Sex-selective abortion is the practice of ending a pregnancy based upon the predicted sex of the infant.
• It is a problem in India where there is a cultural preference for sons, coupled with political and economic influences.
• Instances of sex discrimination committed via abortion and infanticide have resulted in millions of “missing” girls in some societies.

Context

• There was a case of infanticide in Tamil Nadu’s Usilampatti, which is historically notorious for its crude methods of killing female babies.
• In this region, there is an inhuman practice of feeding female infants with toxic milk.

What are the causes of sex-selective abortions in India?

• Son Preference – Throughout much of India, sons are often valued to carry on the family name and receive the inheritance.
• According to traditional Hindu customs, important religious rituals, such as the lighting of the funeral pyre, must be performed by a son to assure that parents have a good afterlife.
• Sons also provide parents with the assurance that they will be cared for—physically, emotionally, and financially—in sickness and old age.
• Daughters, on the other hand, are often seen as a burden and a net financial loss.
• Although illegal, the practice of dowry is still common in India, and couples will often spend a substantial amount of their savings on their daughter’s dowry.
• Moreover, marriage in India is typically patrilocal.
• Upon marriage, women become part of their husband’s family and lineage and typically care for their husband’s parents in old age, leaving sonless couples with little support from their children in old age.

Initiatives are taken by the Government

• Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC-PNDT) was enacted and amended to arm the state to wage a war against this practice.
• It is an Act of the Parliament enacted to stop female feticides and arrest the declining sex ratio in India.
• The main purpose of enacting the Act is to ban the use of sex-selection techniques after conception and prevent the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques for sex-selective abortions.
• The Centre’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• The campaign is aimed at preventing gender-biased sex selection and ensuring the survival & protection of the girl child.  Read more on the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign at the linked article.
• Tamil Nadu, under the leadership of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, effectively employed the Cradle Baby Scheme to counter infanticide, along with effective awareness campaigns.

Some possible solutions for ending India’s sex-selective abortion crisis

• Effective Enforcement of Laws Banning Sex-Selective Abortion – To reduce the number of sex-selective abortions in India, the central, state, and union territory governments must ensure full and effective implementation of the PC-PNDT Act, including promptly holding medical practitioners that violate the law accountable.
• The government must ensure that all ultrasound clinics are registered, and that accurate, up-to-date records are kept.
• Promote the Equal Dignity and Status of Women – Studies have shown that men and women with gender-equitable attitudes and husbands who display low relationship control are significantly less likely to express a strong preference for sons.
• Promoting the equal dignity and status of women will reduce son preference and thus reduce the motivation for couples to engage in sex selection practices.
• Public and non-governmental stakeholders seeking to combat sex-selective abortions must promote the dignity of girls through public awareness messaging.
• Such messaging should not only reinforce cultural-based reasons why Indian couples desire daughters, but should also seek to advocate for the equal status of girls and their equal potential to contribute to their families.

Conclusion

• It is time for the government to ramp up awareness building exercises, and this time use technology to monitor every single pregnant woman right down to taluk levels until at least one year after birth.
• While punitive aspects might offer a measure of deterrence, true change can only be brought about by a change in attitude.
• The weapon that the government needs to use now is one that will be powerful enough to eliminate the perversion of son preference from people’s minds.

Source: The Hindu