Tuesday 3 February 2015

FEMALE FOETICIDE - A Disheartening Act



“ Think before killing a generation. Save a girl child and save the future ”



Female feticide is the selective abortion/elimination of the girl child in the womb itself, done deliberately by the mother, after the detection of the child’s gender through medical means. This is usually done under familial pressure from the husband or the in-laws or even the woman’s parents. Unplanned pregnancy is generally the reason behind abortion. However, female feticide is a far more heinous sin than the age old practice of killing an unwanted child, even before it’s born.

Like many societies around the world, India too is typical in nature. A set hierarchical system prevails in all tiers of the social order. The fanatic obsession with the male sex, though, is one of a kind. Right from the ancient scriptures, one finds instances where men are glowingly praised as the key to continue the family lineage. A girl is forced to undergo multiple pregnancies and (or) abortions, until she fulfills her lifelong goal of being a breeding machine that produces male offspring as per the needs of the family.

While instances of abortion aren’t newsflash in India or any other nation, the cruelty being flaunted in this particular case is, for lack of a better word, horrifying. Many measures are taken to throw light on the brutal underbelly of a supposed sophisticated society. It is a novel venture to voice the injustice that is rampant in the country, and to together as an informed community to abolish such evil acts and take actions against it. Feminine contains alignment with spirit and alignment with divine love. their perpetrators once and for all. They are a gift to the nature.

Reason behind female foeticide :

Preference for the male child:
Elimination/removal of girls from the family tree even before they are born clearly indicates the vehement desire for a boy child. Sons are seen as the main source of income. Even though women today can easily rub shoulders with men, almost in every field they set their mind to, the common misconception still remains that it is the male who will help run the house, and look after his parents

Deteriorated Status of Women:
Males are the stronger sex when it comes to the pecking order in a country, but that does not entail a curbing of rights for women. Rather than whining about the denied opportunities, women should stand up and try to grasp the chances they want for themselves. The worst enemy of a woman is the woman herself. Female feticide happens with the explicit consent of the mother. While most mothers-to be agree to this misdeed out of a sense of duty to the family, there are many who take the initiative themselves.

Foul Medical Ethics:
The opening conversation to this hub satisfactorily covers this point. With the legalization of abortion in India, illegal sex determination and termination of pregnancies has become an everyday reality. The professionals in the medical field are only too glad to help parents realize their dream of a healthy baby boy. Female feticide is openly discussed amongst many in the healing fraternity and even pin boards outside certain clinics read, ‘Pay Rs.500 today to save the expense of Rs. 500 000 in the future’. The initial meager sum is the cost of a pregnancy termination, while the bigger amount specified in comparison, is the expense that the family will be burdened with in the form of dowry for the girl.



This remains a serious issue in today’s world and some serious measures needs to be taken to curb such issues. Each one of us must join hands together against this antisocial activity. Many international and national law making bodies have come forward to stop this cruel practice. Of the numerous steps taken to curb the matter, the prominent ones are:

Cancellation/permanent termination of the doctor’s license who partakes in fulfilling a client’s demand to do away with her girl child.
  • Heavy penalty imposed on companies like GE, that specialize in marketing medical equipment used for illegal sex determination and abortion in unlicensed clinics and hospitals.
  • High fines and judicial action against ‘parents’ who knowingly try to kill their unborn baby. 
  • Widespread campaigns and seminars for young adults and potential parents to enlighten them about the ill effects of female feticide. Ignorance is one of the major causes for the increase in the selective sex abortion cases. Spreading awareness can go a long way in saving our future sisters, mothers and wives. 

A cohesive and concerted effort by everyone can prove to be the requisite baby step in the right direction. We may not support the notion of women rising above men, or them becoming the dominant sex, or conquering the world. However, the basic humane consideration to let an innocent child live and see the world she was conceived to grow in is not too much to ask. Let’s not be murderers of our own flesh and blood.