The limits of choice

Human beings seem to value choice — a house of one’s own choice, chosen friends, clothes of one’s choice, and so on. Many people, fed on choices, believe they should also be allowed to choose the sex of their child. In the past, this was done by killing the newborn baby girl. While this practice continues, technology now helps people to choose the sex of their child with prenatal diagnostic techniques. And many people choose to abort the foetus if it is female. Despite laws against such practices, they are on the increase. Other than the acute psychological trauma caused to the mother when a decision to abort is forced upon her, the worsening the sex ratio in India (927:1000 in 2001) will have disastrous consequences.

It is important to create greater awareness about the dangers of prenatal sex determination and sex selective abortion. The media, women’s organisations, medical professionals, all of us must come together to stop this genocide. All registered medical practitioners must strictly follow the code of ethics that on no account will they do a sex determination test with the intent to terminate the life of a female foetus. The law must be strictly applied in cases of sex selective abortions and doctors who participate in the crime should be de-registered.