India Steps Up Effort to Halt Abortions of Female Fetuses

[Guest guest]

Gujarati Grooms Paying for Brides

Times News Network

 

AHMEDABAD, INDIA, November 15, 2003: On his 31st birthday, Mitesh Patel

of Rajkot, Gujarat found his ageing father was worried because he had

not found a suitable bride for his son. The old man was left with no

alternative but to "settle" for a tribal girl, in the process coughing

up a large dowry (bride price, actually), as per the tribal marriage

custom. In Gujarat, where the sex ratio has dropped to 878 girls for

1000 boys, villages are grappling with this new problem. The grooms are

waiting. But, where is the bride? Said Haribhai Adhruk, a village

elder, "This trend is becoming commonplace in our village. It's a

fallout of people not wanting girls, and the sonography machine has

played havoc," he says. Experts warn that social practices like

dhoodh-piti (tradition of drowning infant girl in milk prevalent in

Saurashtra), sata-paddhati (tradition of marrying daughters into the

family of daughter-in-law) and issues like domestic violence, gender

discrimination and illegal abortions continuing unabated, there are

grave consequences in store for Gujarat. "The state government has

begun confiscating unlicensed sonography machines and has raided

illegal sonography centres. But, it is society that should realize the

problem and bring about a difference," says Amar Vyas, a social

activist in Mehsana, a district notorious for female feticide. A

startling instance of the social complicity was apparent when the

Ahmedabad district health office appealed to people to report cases of

female feticide anonymously. Not a single call was received on the

phone number that was advertised. "If this trend continues, it will

create law and order problems with a rise in domestic violence and

infidelity," says social scientist Achyut Yagnik.

 

[REASWARAN]

Let me put things in perspective- Yes there are cases of abortions of female fetuses in India. and No - there is no blanket legality accorded to such acts. Abortion is legal in India upto the time the fetus is three months old I think. Why ? Because unfortunately, several Indians still carry the old mental framework of wanting a male child- to carry on the dynasty you see-never mind if the dynasty is worth a tuppeny. Anyway if the first child is a female , they go onto the second and if also a female onto the third and so on until the woman collapses or the male child is born. Which leaves us with a host of little girls who get no care from their parents 'cause they finally have a son- never mind he may a good for nothing' .

With legalised abortion, at least such children will not come into the world and suffer nor will a woman be made to go through the tyranny of unwanted birhs- sure it is not the pefect solution - but the woman should have the choice of having a child or not - she's the one who bears the brunt after all.

[Guest guest]

 

 

India is well know to its strong religion and faith. But how come they mosre value honor in expense of life? How could you relate the acts/legality of abortion to the brand of India's spirituality? I think there is something wrong with this. In most Christian nation (aside from the west) abortion is highly classified as against God. where could you insert this act to India's faith?

[Kulapavana]

"With legalised abortion, at least such children will not come into the world and suffer nor will a woman be made to go through the tyranny of unwanted birhs"

 

If you conceived a child, your duty is to raise it well. We devotees must follow the Vedic law on this issue. Sinful people invent bogus justification for their evil acts - do not fall for their poisonous "reasons".