Female Feticide
Pursue this fragment of an otherwise innocent conversation
Doctor (female): It ’s a little late. Besides, IT has grown too large in size to eliminate.
Woman: Does that mean you can ’t do anything to get rid of IT?
Doctor: Hmm, maybe a timely pill or an injection can still kill IT. The money charged will increase, of course.
Woman: That ’s hardly a matter of concern. I just want IT done with. (Pause)What will we do with the body though?
Doctor: Do I need to spell it out to you? (Chuckles) There ’s a graveyard close by. Bury IT there. Or maybe you could pack IT in a plastic bag and toss IT into the river nearby. Nobody will know.
Woman: Sounds like a feasible plan. Thank you.
Before I start off on a tangent, let me confess that the above dialogue is not, in fact, a hypothetical conversation. This was part of a sting operation conducted by a team of journalists in one of the leading hospitals in India. The woman is a mother to be, while the doctor is a highly acclaimed medical practitioner. If you were wondering about the annoying repetition of the pronoun ‘it ’, be ready to understand that the thing being so dispassionately discussed is the woman ’s unborn girl child. Yes, this is the talk between an aspiring parent and her gynecologist.
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. I happened to catch this exchange in a programme on television, Satyamev Jayate (Official website), which is a recent endeavor 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 work together as an informed community to abolish such evil acts and their perpetrators once and for all. The topic for this hub is, therefore, Female Feticide.
What is female feticide?
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 patriarchal 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.
Sadly, a majority of female feticide cases involve an enthusiastic participation of women, both old and young.
To add fuel to the fire, unethical sex determination and selective abortion of female infants has become a booming US $224 million industry- a dangerous incentive for this transgression to prosper further in the near future.
Why female feticide?
Every unethical act, like this one, has some age-old lame reasoning behind it, which is used as genuine justification by its staunch supporters. The root cause for female feticide lies within the cultural norms as well as the socio-economic policies of the country where this practice prevails. The most infected (I use the verb, for it precisely depicts the malady that has affected our world) are the South Asian countries like China, India, Vietnam, Korea etc. from where this social evil has mushroomed today to the western nations like the USA and Canada. This is the end result of immigration that has brought along female feticide across the pond. What is the rationale, one may wonder. Surprisingly, the reasons aren ’t quite as diverse for these nations as one may perceive.
Ø 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. In the countries where female feticide has become unbridled, the core factor is the need to continue the family line through the male born into it. 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. Once married, women are like cargo, ready to be shipped off to another household, while parents breathe a sigh of relief for a job well done in getting their ‘daughter ’ settled.
In India, the age old custom of dowry system puts a damper on the parents ’ spirits who are ‘blessed ’ with a girl child. Right then and there, begin the calculations associated with marriage expenses, which may happen after a couple of decades, following the child ’s first breath. A lump sum paid to the daughter in twenty years when the currency value may depreciate and inflation may skyrocket is seen as a tragedy waiting to happen. It would be so much better to get rid of them with just a fraction of the amount.
Ø Deteriorated Status of Women: I ’m not a rabid feminist who would shout herself hoarse about the domination of men in any society. Sure, 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.
However, this Utopian scenario is not quite easily achieved in practice. Centuries of repression has made inferiority second nature to most women. They willingly embrace the role of the meek, submissive, docile wife who works relentlessly to cater to the whims of her husband. 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.
Ø 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 ($ 10) today to save the expense of Rs. 500 000 ($ 10 000) 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.
Ø Industrial Growth: Industrialization of the health sector has further strengthened the selective sex abortion quarter. With the advent of CVS, amniocentesis and Ultrasound, sex determination of the fetus has become much easier than it was earlier. This goes on to show how the manufacturers of high-tech equipments and gadgets, used to run these tests, benefit from the woes of future parents and their unborn child. Many hospitals are known to sign long term contracts with the firms involved in the production of these types of medical machinery. Often, a healthy percentage of the profit is shared with the hospital and both parties enjoy the fruits of rewarding a death sentence.
As opposed to CVS and amniocentesis, the ultrasound technology is cheaper and within easy reach of the lower economically backward strata of society. It is also easily accessible in a hospital/clinic nearby with mediocre credentials.
Unfortunately, the probability of accuracy of the ultrasound is not always 100 per cent until the fetus is twenty weeks old. Consequently, the child aborted by those enthusiastic parents may just be the little prince they were hoping for.
Long Term Consequences
As Newton ’s Third Law of Motion states, ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction ’, the after effects of this genocide are fatal and far-reaching. Blinded by the need for an assertive gender to rule the house after the parents ’ demise, the majority are often ignorant of the disaster they unwittingly invite by indulging in female feticide.
Ø Skewed Sex Ratio: In India,the number of girls per 1000 boys is declining with each passing decade. From 962 and 945 girls for every 1000 boys in the years 1981 and 1991 respectively, the sex ratio had plummeted to an all time low of 927 girls for 1000 boys in 2001. If that statistic is a matter of concern, the current figures are toeing the danger line with only 914 girls for 1000 boys in 2011. In the case of China, the sex ratio is an alarming 118 boys for 100 girls; that means 848 girls for 1000 boys. This is just an example of two nations trapped in the vicious circle. There are many others struggling with a skewed sex ratio.
Is an imbalance in the number of females a truly worrying matter?
Yes, indeed. Sex ratio is merely a microscopic view of the number of both genders. However, when calculated for the entire population, this clearly indicates the widespread disparity. This disparity may prove critical for the country ’s development in political, economic and emotional spheres. The sex ratios of some countries are listed below:
Vietnam: 892/1000
South Korea (sex ratio at birth): 934/1000
USA: 962/1000
Canada: 943/1000
UK: 952/1000
Sri Lanka: 961/1000
Ø Female/Women Trafficking: The steep decline in the number of girls makes them scarce for the teaming number of males eligible for marriage. As a solution to this issue, illegal trafficking of women has become commonplace in many regions. This is a graver matter than the ideology of mail order brides. Women, often young girls who ’ve just crossed the threshold of puberty, are compelled to marry for a price fixed by the groom-to be. They are usually bought in from neighboring areas, where the number of girls might not be as miniscule as the host region. Child marriages become a rage and child pregnancies, a devastating consequence. The moment when a land participates in the trade off of its women population, it is a sure path laid ahead with pitfalls.
Ø Increase in Rape and Assault: Once women become an endangered species, it is only a matter of time before the instances of rape, assault and violence become widespread. In the backdrop of fewer available females, the surviving ones will be faced with the reality of handling a society driven by a testosterone high. The legal system may offer protection, but as is the situation today, many cases might not even surface for fear of isolation and humiliation on the girl ’s part.
Ø Population Decline: With no mothers or wombs to bear any child (male or female), there would be fewer births, leading to a decline in the country ’s population. Though a control in the demographic statistics is currently the goal of many nations like China and India, a total wipeout of one sex is not the way to achieve this target. Science would then have to look up solutions to do away with the swarming number of men, should such a worst case scenario happen.
Prevention and Cure
Do the facts enlisted above truly spell disaster for the future of women? Not really. The issues of female infanticide, female feticide and selective sex abortion have gained global attention. 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 equipments 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, girlfriends 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.
, Female Feticide: Causes, Effects and Solutions www.ozeldersin.com bitirme tezi,ödev,proje dönem ödevi