Female Feticide In India
Brianna Curry
Gendercide
• Infanticide has been practiced throughout the world for centuries
• Girls in India are discriminated against before they are even born
• India’s current ratio is 93 women to every 100 men
•
What is Female Feticide?
• Female feticide is “a practice that involves the detection and abortion of a female fetus due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females.
• Detection-Ultrasound-Amniocentesis
Patriarchy• Like many societies in the
world, India is patrilineal• Men held high positions in
the community and made all of the decisions
• Women were inferior to men• Women in India have
traditionally been discriminated against before birth, after birth, during their marriage, and as widows
Dowry System in India
• In India, a dowry is the payment of some sort, either in the form of gifts, animals, or money
• The bride and her family are expected to provide the groom with the dowry
• Families in poverty will spend all of their lives preparing for a dowry
Why is Feticide Being Practiced in India
• ECONOMICS • Dowry• The son takes care of
his parents in their old age, not the daughter
State’s Response
• The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act• Abortion is legal if: the mother’s life is at risk due to
complications with the pregnancy- the child is at risk of being born with a
disability or other dangers- if the mother was raped and as a
consequence, becomes pregnant, -if the woman wishes to keep her family small
If someone commits female feticide, they can be fined and serve up to two years in prison
Limitations of India’s Legal System
• Lack of enforcement• There are thousands of
cases of feticide in India, yet very few cases are prosecuted.
• Feticide is “too lucrative”
The People Respond
• Many organizations have been created to combat both infanticide and feticide.
• The international community as well as nongovernmental organizations have increased their efforts for fighting for the rights of young women in India
• Adoption• Cradle Baby Scheme
References
• Ahmad, Nehaluddin. “Female Feticide in India.” Issues in Law & Medicine. Summer2010, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p13-29.