Female Foeticide

MEDICAL & SOCIAL ASPECT OF FEMALE

FOETICIDE AND HOW WE CAN STOP IT ?

DR. DHIRAJ GADA

DR. NEERAJ KUMAR KHAREDR.MRS. SANDHYA KHARE

DR VIJAY POTNIS

MR. VIRENDRA SHAH

CONTENTS CONDITION OF

FEMALES – UN REPORT

THOUGHTS FLOATED BY PEOPLE ON INERNET

STUDY OF A SUBURBAN AREA

MAIN LECTURE WITH MY VIEWS

How can female foeticide be stopped?

India is failing to prevent large-scale female infanticide and foeticide, according to a UN report. As a result, says the UN's World Population Fund, India has one of the highest imbalances in the world between males and females.

There are 933 females per 1000

males in India. The "missing girls and women" can be

attributed to discriminatory gender

practices such as female foeticide,

female infanticide, sexual trafficking and

dowry death

One-fourth of Indian girls do

not live past the age of fifteen

and one-third of these deaths

occur before a girl reaches her first birthday

The childhood mortality rate for Indian girls is 20% higher than it is for

boys

Nearly two in every

three women in India are illiterate

The female literacy rate is 54% Only 82 girls for every 100 boys are enrolled in school. 35 million girls

do not attend school in India.

Almost half of all girls aged 20-24 years were married before they reached the age of 18

According to the United Nations, the trafficking of women is the fastest growing illegal business in the world, netting about $7 billion annually. The word “women” is misleading; young girls and teens are often also targeted.

How can this problem be tackled? What should country like India be doing? Can the world do any more than criticise from the sidelines? What is the price of doing nothing?

The real problem in here is the

appallingly low

status of women.

I feel the root of the problem lies in certain

sections of the people and their mindset

Enlightenment will

only come through the spread of education

and improved economic

conditions

Other problems along with this, like the caste

system, religious

intolerance, abject poverty and rampant corruption

have eaten into the moral

structure of the society

The Indian government to its credit

has attempted to improve the

lot of girls by providing them with

free education,

meals during school hours, vaccination

There is a strong belief that having a female child is expensive when it come to marriage and dowry.

Dowry system and social conditioning from a very early age have pushed the girl child into

the dark

What are all of these guys going to do when they run out of women?

The answer is obvious, education is everything.

STUDYSupporters of female foeticide, the

test appears to be the solution to a number of problems.

This study therefore, was undertaken in order to study the reasons for female foeticide in a sociological perspective.

Village Daun, situated at a distance of 8km from the Chandigarh-Ludhiana Road was selected for the study. In all, 126 women representing nearly 98 percent of the married women in the age group of 20-45 years were interviewed. An in-depth perspective of the problem was obtained by way of case studies done at Chandigarh. The objectives of the study then were to understand the attitude of women towards female foeticide, and to know the underlying reasons for the practice.

About four-fifths of the respondents were housewives; the remaining were self-employed. About 74 percent had a monthly family income of less than Rs. 1,000/-. Over half (54 percent) belonged to the scheduled castes. About half of the respondents were illiterate, and yet nearly three-fourths (74 percent) knew about sex determination test.

Attitude towards female foeticide

Nearly three-fourths of the Nearly three-fourths of the respondents (72 percent) considered respondents (72 percent) considered abortion or medical termination of abortion or medical termination of pregnancy "a sin as it is a murder and pregnancy "a sin as it is a murder and a rejection of God's will". However, a rejection of God's will". However, their bias against the female child their bias against the female child came out strongly when subsequently came out strongly when subsequently they were asked if they would favour they were asked if they would favour termination of pregnancy if they knew termination of pregnancy if they knew that the foetus is female: an that the foetus is female: an overwhelming majority (95 percent) overwhelming majority (95 percent) answered "Yes" answered "Yes"

". Only five percent answered "No"; these women considered it to be a sin. On probing among the former majority group, it was found that 46 percent were actually prepared to terminate a pregnancy if the foetus were female, while the remaining 54 percent despite a favourable attitude, said that they would not actually do so as they had either completed their family or had two sons.

The 46 percent who were in favour of The 46 percent who were in favour of female foeticide revealed a strong son female foeticide revealed a strong son preference. While about half of them preference. While about half of them wanted one son, the other half wanted two wanted one son, the other half wanted two sons and considered 3-4 children as the sons and considered 3-4 children as the 'ideal family size'. It may be noted that 'ideal family size'. It may be noted that while only 28 percent of the respondents while only 28 percent of the respondents did not consider abortion a sin, 46 percent did not consider abortion a sin, 46 percent were ready to undergo an abortion if the were ready to undergo an abortion if the amniocentesis test showed a female amniocentesis test showed a female foetus, thereby indicating that at least 18 foetus, thereby indicating that at least 18 percent of the respondents were ready to percent of the respondents were ready to abort a female foetus even though they abort a female foetus even though they considered it a sin. considered it a sin.

The main reasons for harbouring a The main reasons for harbouring a favourable attitude towards female favourable attitude towards female foeticide have been categorised into foeticide have been categorised into economic reasons and son preference. economic reasons and son preference. Son preference has been found to be Son preference has been found to be very strong in the case of scheduled very strong in the case of scheduled caste respondents while it is lowest caste respondents while it is lowest among other castes. The majority of among other castes. The majority of the respondents gave economic the respondents gave economic reasons as the basis of their favourable reasons as the basis of their favourable attitude towards female foeticide. attitude towards female foeticide.

This explains the paradox of social This explains the paradox of social compulsion and individual choice. compulsion and individual choice. According to social norms they According to social norms they considered abortion a sin, and yet, considered abortion a sin, and yet, female foeticide was acceptable. female foeticide was acceptable.

CONCLUSION The study makes it clear that a woman, whether

educated or uneducated, rich or poor, is not conscious of her own identity, which is as indispensable for progress as a man's. She is unable to recognise her role in resolving her problems because of the prevalence of systems like dowry, etc. In the end, it may be concluded that the banning of this test, though an essential and urgently required step, is not the final solution to the problem. In the long run, social prejudices against women have to be overcome by improving her overall status in society.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, to launch a campaign to curb female foeticide

SIRSA May 1 - The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, will launch an awareness campaign to curb the tendency of female foeticide. This was stated by the patron of the association, Dr Ved Beniwal, here today. The general body meeting of the association condemned female foeticide and the indulgence of some so-called prestigious institutions in this anti-social and anti-human activity with the connivance of some medical practitioners, who are tarnishing the medical profession.

The general body agreed that such elements must be identified and strict action be taken against them, besides launching a public awareness campaign. The body also agreed to request the government, press, NGOs, women activists and religious leaders to help stop this evil practice. It welcomed the laws for the disposal of biomedical waste. The body also discussed the alternative techniques which could be adopted and recommended to the government. The president of the association Dr D. S. Jaspal, stated that a disaster management committee would be constituted all over the state to meet any eventuality. The term of the present state team of the association was extended till March 31, 2002.

“Many are willing to go to the patient's home and conduct the test. This will ensure that they are not exposed. The doctors carry the equipment with them.” Female Foeticide in Karnataka, IndiaTimes of India (Electronic Edition)

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

“Ultra-sonography is abused for determining the sex of the foetus, though it is meant only to check any abnormalities in the foetus. As a result, female foeticide is rampant.”

Female foeticide

Female foeticide is being criticised by so many NGOs and others but without realising the practical problems. It may be ethically wrong but is practised by many couples.

We all know it is very costly to marry off a girl whereas the marriage of a son brings back whatever has been spent on him since his birth. This is a fact and unless this is addressed to, female foeticide cannot be stopped.

Talking of equality of sexes is easy but practising it is difficult. I know a couple who had to give birth to six girls to have a male child some 30 years ago.

This happened because at that time there was no possibility of sex determination of child in womb. Nowadays the couples have become wiser. They ‘kill’ their daughter before she is born. Criticising female foeticide is correct but unless we change our customs and thinking pattern, the problem cannot be solved.

HC recommends capital punishment in dowry deathsThe Allahabad High Court on Thursday recommended to Parliament to suitably amend the law to provide for death sentence in dowry death cases. A Division Bench, comprising Justice M Katju and Justice K N Sinha, made the recommendation while dismissing a writ petition filed by one Dev Prasad and others challenging an FIR lodged against them in case of dowry death.The court said it is surprising that an ordinary murder can be punished by a death sentence under section 302 of the IPC, while a dowry death, which is a much worse offence, has a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.A dowry death is not an ordinary crime, it is a social crime, the court observed.When a girl comes to her "sasural" (in-law's house) after marriage, she comes into a new environment where she needs a lot of love and affection. But what is happening in our society is that the moment a bride comes to her sasural, her harassment begins with her in-laws demanding more and more dowry, the court said.

For want of dowry, thousands of brides are being killed by their in-laws, the court said, adding no amount of persuasion will make these stone-hearted people give up this terrible and barbaric practice and only harsh measures like death sentence can achieve this.

‘Enforce Female Foeticide Act’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2002 01:07:55 AM ]

LUCKNOW: Minister for medical, health and family welfare Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh has directed the concerning officers to ensure strict enforcement of Female Foetus (Prevention of Killing) Act in the state.

He said that the Act has provision of imprisonment between 3-5 years and a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 for those who after sex determination test to kill the female foetus.

The minister said that for effective implementation of the Act, chief medical officers had been declared the competent authority at the district level and deputy chief medical officers at the tehsil level. He said that registration of genetic labs and ultrasound labs had been made compulsory under the Act.

Even issuing advertisements for sex determination tests has also been made a cognisable offence, he added. Singh said that so far 25 genetic clinics and 1,235 ultrasound centres had been registered under the Act in the state.

He said that application of 41 genetic clinics and ultrasound centres had been rejected while four ultrasound machines were confiscated and prosecution were registered against 10 centres.

PREVENTION OF “FEMALE FOETICIDE” AND “DEVELOPMENT OF THE

GIRL CHILD”Female child is boon to the family. Killing it at the foetal stage by misusing the medical technology is a curse to the society. Let us stop it. “ Save the Female Child for the prosperity of the Society”. - Take up social awareness campaign to prevent discrimination against Girl child in the fields of Education, Employment and Sexual equality. - Financial and other support to Girl Child may also be extended. - The Girl child’s social and legal right should be protected. - Conduct seminars on the Awareness of Female Foeticide. - Print pamphlets on the subject “Prevention of “Female Foeticide” and development of the girl child”.