Foeticide Stigma on the face of Indian Society

[DrRajpalSingh]

Female foeticide is a stigma on the face of Indian society.

How to involve people especially social activists to eliminate this evil from society?

[upendersingh]

Ladoo and Jalebis: The code of killer doctors of Jatland

Deepender Deswal, TNN Apr 8, 2011, 04.27am IST
JHAJJAR: Ladoo means boy and Jalebi means girl. These are the code words being used in the ultrasound centers to convey about the gender of feotus to the family of the pregnant woman.
The sources disclosed that many of the registered ultra sound centers in the district, particularly in national capital town of Bahadurgarh have been the hub of sex determination tests clandestinely.
These centre worked through a well-knit network of touts and agents and conducted the sex determination tests at odd hours and did not have any record about such patients.
A source in a private hospital in Bahadurgarh revealed that the ultrasound centers did not deal with the patients directly and even strictly turned them away if anybody walked in for the test. They have touts hovering around the ultrasound centers who followed them and then struck a deal at their residence or any place away from the centre. These touts charge hefty fee and even bargain with the patient as per his/her financial condition.
The patient would be later asked to visit the centre mostly early in the morning. After the check up, the patient would walk out and the tout would later intimate the ward of the patient by saying distribute ladoos or distribute jalebis.
In Haryana, it has been tradition in to throw a feast by simply making ladoos in the marriage of boy. But in the marriage of a girl, it is bounding for the brides family to offer jalebis along with other sweets in feast to the visitors.
After determining the sex of the feotus, the patient is then referred to the clinics for abortion which too again charge a hefty fee. According to a source, a government doctor offered his services to a private clinic at a higher remuneration of Rs 1.25 lakh per month in addition to his government job.
Significantly, Bahadurgarh town alone has 19 registered ultrasound centre while Jhajjar town has six and one centre is in Beri town. But shockingly, there has been only two cases booked against two untrasound centers even though the health authorities claimed to have been making frequent raids to check the menace.
Dr Bharat Singh, the civil surgeon of Jhajjar district while talking to the TOI maintained that the health department had constituted three teams in Bahadurgarh town to keep close watch and raid on the ultrasound centers. We have been making surprise checks and raiding on tip offs but most of the raids proved futile. Presently, two ultrasound centers are facing the charges of indulging in illegal activity of determining the sex.
Jhajjar has registered the lowest sex ratio in the country in 0-6 age group with 774 girls per 1000 boys.

Link

[singhvp]

Female foeticide is a stigma on the face of Indian society.

How to involve people especially social activists to eliminate this evil from society?

Foeticide is nothing short of homicide. The culprits must be prosecuted under a criminal act. I think stringent criminal procedure against this crime need to be introduced, if not already in place.

[sunillathwal]

Foeticide is nothing short of homicide. The culprits must be prosecuted under a criminal act. I think stringent criminal procedure against this crime need to be introduced, if not already in place.

Disagree. Foeticide is not wrong, 'selective foeticide' is .

[singhvp]

Disagree. Foeticide is not wrong, 'selective foeticide' is .

Sunil, I partly disagree. Selective foeticide may be justified to some extent if warranted by unavoidable circumstances. For example termination of foetus conceived out of illegitimate relations might be justified to save the family from ignominy. But, foeticide on determination of sex is not justified (female foeticide) which is, perhaps the focal point of this debate.

[deshi-jat]

समाज घोर नैतिक पतन की ओर अग्रसर है. पांच सप्ताह के भ्रूण में तंत्रिकातंत्र (Neural tube ) तथा हृदयगति (heartbeat) विकसित हो जाती है. अधिकांश भ्रूणहत्याएं पन्द्रहवें सप्ताह अथवा उसके पश्चात ही की जाती है, वो भी भ्रूण को चेतनशुन्य (anesthesia) किये बिना. इसको कैसे न्यायोचित ठहराया जा सकता है ? मेरे व्यक्तिगत विचार से भ्रूणह्त्या केवल भ्रूण की बनावट में विकृति अथवा असामान्य विकास की अवस्था में ही कुछ सीमा तक न्यायसंगत है

[raka]

Ladoo and Jalebis: The code of killer doctors of Jatland

Link

एक रांडा ही असल माइने में दर्द समझ सके स इस कन्या भूर्ण हत्या का , जदे उपेंदर भाई इसी इसी खबरा पे पूरा ध्यान राखे स , कोई न भाई सबर राख बैठेगा सूत

[singhvp]

It is good to note that mindset is changing gradually in India. Government and some amateur social organizations have been spreading awareness against this social menace and stigma. Nonetheless, a lot more needs to be done in this direction supported by legal bindings and punitive measures against the defaulters. Sex determination of the fetus may be made illegal except for some special circumstances.

I quote excerpts from one article published in Economist on sex-selection in Asian countries.

"Monica Das Gupta of the World Bank points out that the 2011 census shows the sex ratio is beginning to return to normal in Punjab and Haryana, states where sex-selective abortion used to be common, but which now report big changes in attitudes to girls. These are rich states with many mature middle-class families. Meanwhile, in nearby Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, the sex ratio is getting worse. These are states with more of the emerging middle classes. Because there are many such states and some, like Uttar Pradesh, are huge, they explain why the national child sex ratio became more distorted in 2001-11." For reading full article, here is the link:

http://www.economist.com/node/215422...aughtersreturn

[urmiladuhan]

Sunil, I partly disagree. Selective foeticide may be justified to some extent if warranted by unavoidable circumstances. For example termination of foetus conceived out of illegitimate relations might be justified to save the family from ignominy. But, foeticide on determination of sex is not justified (female foeticide) which is, perhaps the focal point of this debate.

i disagree. what is the fault of the unborn child for which he/she must be killed? it is the couple who has indulged in the so called illegal thing, not the unborn child! therefore, it is the couple who should be punished by the society (if at all) and not the child. killing the foetus in this manner is a grave violation of basic human right i.e., the right to life. under such circumstances (i.e., conception of the illegitimate child) the would be mother should be sent away to deliver the child. the child can then be put up for adoption. there are many good hearted people in the world for a good human being.

[urmiladuhan]

समाज घोर नैतिक पतन की ओर अग्रसर है. पांच सप्ताह के भ्रूण में तंत्रिकातंत्र (Neural tube ) तथा हृदयगति (heartbeat) विकसित हो जाती है. अधिकांश भ्रूणहत्याएं पन्द्रहवें सप्ताह अथवा उसके पश्चात ही की जाती है, वो भी भ्रूण को चेतनशुन्य (anesthesia) किये बिना. इसको कैसे न्यायोचित ठहराया जा सकता है ? मेरे व्यक्तिगत विचार से भ्रूणह्त्या केवल भ्रूण की बनावट में विकृति अथवा असामान्य विकास की अवस्था में ही कुछ सीमा तक न्यायसंगत है

such selfish people! and merciless too. i am deeply pained to read this.

[urmiladuhan]

Female foeticide is a stigma on the face of Indian society.

How to involve people especially social activists to eliminate this evil from society?

some measures:

1. crime prevention against women should be made a high priority. their complaints to the police and courts must be dealt with seriously and in an expedited manner, irrespective of how minor or irrelevant they may seem. if grown up women feel safe in the society, there are better chances of female foetus being safe too.

[VPannu]

some measures:

Abolish dowry, of any kind, totally and completely.

[urmiladuhan]

Abolish dowry, of any kind, totally and completely.

how? please suggest practical ways in which that can be done to be EFFECTIVE from day 1. Dowry practice is already against the law.

[VPannu]

how? please suggest practical ways in which that can be done to be EFFECTIVE from day 1. Dowry practice is already against the law.

aapne bhi bera hai law kitna ak follow hove hai. BTW, I prefer to read/write/speak less, samajhdaar ko ishaara kaafi but since you have asked ; practical way yo hai ak jo groom ar uski family hai un ne accept hi nahi karni is type ka gift/dowry etc.

[urmiladuhan]

aapne bhi bera hai law kitna ak follow hove hai. BTW, I prefer to read/write/speak less, samajhdaar ko ishaara kaafi but since you have asked ; practical way yo hai ak jo groom ar uski family hai un ne accept hi nahi karni is type ka gift/dowry etc.

but they do! what to do now ?

[singhvp]

i disagree. what is the fault of the unborn child for which he/she must be killed? it is the couple who has indulged in the so called illegal thing, not the unborn child! therefore, it is the couple who should be punished by the society (if at all) and not the child. killing the foetus in this manner is a grave violation of basic human right i.e., the right to life. under such circumstances (i.e., conception of the illegitimate child) the would be mother should be sent away to deliver the child. the child can then be put up for adoption. there are many good hearted people in the world for a good human being.

In principle your argument may sound logical but practice and ground realities defy it. There would hardly a few in the present day 'civil society' who would buy this argument.

[urmiladuhan]

In principle your argument is logical but practice and ground realities defy it. There would hardly a few who would buy this argument in the present day 'civil society'.

it is not about telling others what they should do, but what one should do.

[singhvp]

it is not about telling others what they should do, but what one should do.

That is the tragedy. People actually don't do what they ought to do.

[urmiladuhan]

That is the tragedy. People actually don't do what they ought to do.

I think, best is to focus on the solution rather than the problem.

[singhvp]

how? please suggest practical ways in which that can be done to be EFFECTIVE from day 1. Dowry practice is already against the law.

Charity begins at home. One must resolve not to accept or give away dowry. People must get together to boycott marriages where dowry takes place.