Tag: #femalefoeticide

Reproductive Health

Total well being in all aspects of the reproduction such as physically mentally and emotionally is called Reproductive health.

All the reproductive organs should be healthy with normal function.

Major problems associated with reproductive health

Overpopulation

  • Overpopulation causes a scarcity of every basic need.
  • It affect the well-being of reproductive health also.
  • To overcome the problem of overpopulation India started family planning program in 1951.
  • Later it was changed to reproductive and Child Health Care program in 1997.
  • A rapid decline in death rate, maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate leads to overpopulation.

Small family, happy family

Steps to control population explosion

  • People should be educated about the advantages of smaller family.
  • Raising the marriageable age of male and female is an effective way to control the population.
  • Couples should be motivated to family planning by adopting birth control measures.

Step under reproductive and Child Health Care program

  • Increase in awareness about disease related to reproductive system example – sexual transmitted disease (STDs).
  • Increase in awareness through the audio visual media.
  • Increase in awareness about different contraceptive methods.
  • Increase awareness about sex education.

Female foeticide

  • Female foeticide can affect reproductive and sexual health of a Woman.
  • Due to the use of amniocentesis cases of female foeticide increases.
  • Amniocentesis is the technique in which amniotic fluid is studied for any type of enzyme disorder, chromosomal disorder or other bio-chemical disorder.
  • Amniocentesis method is misused to know the sex of an Unborn baby.

Sex education

  • Due to lack of education, people are not concerned about safe and hygienic sexual practice.
  • Introduction of the education in school and colleges its another step to provide right information to the youth.
  • Sex education can save the young youth people from myths and misconceptions about sex related issues.
  • Should provide knowledge about birth control methods and care of mother and child.

Our health is in our own hand…

Sexually transmitted disease

Chlamydiasis

  • Caused by Gram Negative bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis.
  • Causes urethritis which result in painful urination and pus discharge.
  • In male, it causes infertility by causing oligospermia.
  • It increases the chance of ectopic pregnancy.
  • Treatment –
    • Treated by antibiotics.

Gonorrhea

  • Causes by negative bacteria Neisseria Gonorrhea.
  • Causes inflammation of reproductive tract, urinary tract infection, and urethritis.
  • Treatment
    • Newly born child is given 1% AGNO3 dose to prevent eye. infection

Genital herpes

  • Causes by herpes simplex virus
  • Causes painful blisters
    • In male – glans penis and foreskin
    • In female – external genitalia
  • There is no proper treatment
  • Treatment is only to extend life.

Genital warts

  • Caused by human papiloma virus.
  • Causes Cancer of different organs such as-
    • cervical cancer
    • penile cancer
    • vaginal cancer
    • vulvar cancer
    • anal cancer
  • Treatment
    • Alpha interferon
    • cryotherapy
    • electrocautery
Sexually transmitted disease

It is very important to provide information to the couple or who are in marriageable age group about birth control methods, care of pregnant women, important of breastfeeding, equality to the gender and equal opportunity to the male and female child, reproductive tract infections etc.

The education of reproductive health should be provided to all

Female foeticide – Bitter truth of society

The process of finding out the sex of a foetus and then undergoing abortion if it is a girl is called Female foeticide.

Stop female foeticide

According to certain section of the Indian penal code for forced abortion ,causing death of an unborn child or intentionally preventing a child being born alive are punishable offence.

The Indian government has passed Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) in 1994 to ban and punish prenatal sex screening and female foeticide.

It is currently illegal in India.

Besides this the prenatal diagnostic technique regulation and prevention of misuse act consider engaging and sex selective abortion using prenatal diagnosis technique are punishable.

Why I am killed by my parents
Why??
Could I harm someone
Or can I do something wrong
If no then why I am  killed by my parents
Why they killed me
Just tell me
Were my dreams only for dying…?
Was I meant nothing for you?
Why your hand don’t tremble while taking my life?
Why..?
Please don’t kill me …
I also wants to live
I also want to enjoy every moment of my life
Please don’t kill me
Please….

Let them live

The natural sex ratio is assumed to be between 103 and 107, and any number above it is considered as suggestive of female foeticide.

Sex selection is a practice which takes place among some uneducated,poor sections or a particular religion of the Indian society.

According to the decennial Indian census, the sex ratio in 0 to 6 age group in India has risen from 102.4 males per 100 females in 1961, to 104.2 in 1980, to 107.5 in 2001, to 108.9 in 2011.

Child sex ratio is significantly higher in certain western and northwestern states such as Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir (118, 120 and 116, as of 2011, respectively).

The western states of Maharashtra and Rajasthan 2011 census found a child sex ratio of 113, Gujarat at 112 and Uttar Pradesh at 111.

Urban India has higher child sex ratio than rural India according to 1991, 2001 and 2011 Census data, implying higher prevalence of female foeticide in urban India.

child sex ratio in major states in India throughout the years 1981, 1991, and 2001-Wikipedia

The following table presents the child sex ratio data for India’s states and union territories, according to 2011 Census of India for population count in the 0-1 age group.The data suggests 18 states/UT had birth sex ratio higher than 107 implying excess males at birth and/or excess female mortalities after birth but before she reaches the age of 1, 13 states/UT had normal child sex ratios in the 0-1 age group, and 4 states/UT had birth sex ratio less than 103 implying excess females at birth and/or excess male mortalities after birth but before he reaches the age of 1.

Due to male dominancy in society ,the male babies are preferred because they provide manual labour and success to the family lineage.

A son is preferred as an asset since he can earn and support the family but a daughter is a liability since she will be married off to another family or she will not contribute financially to her parent or due to dowry system.

Dowry is the payment from bride’s family to the groom family at the time of marriage.

Dowry is the main reason behind the female foeticide.

Dowry system legally ended with the dowry prohibition act of 1961 ,the impossibility of monitoring families and prevalence of corruption have led to its continuance all over India.

The advancement in technology is the major cause of female foeticide.

Some doctors do this act to fulfill their moneydesire

People in India usually see men’s work as “productive” and contributing the family, while the social perception of female labor does not have that connotation. This also ties to the fact that it is easier for men in India to get high paying jobs and provide financially for their families.

Role of panchayat members


Panchayat members should

  • give accurate information on the laws pertaining to this issue
  • find out where it is being practiced in the village and investigate it immediately
  • register all births and deaths under the purview of the panchayat
  • raise awareness about gender sensitivity through public education programmes
  • prevent female foeticide with assistance from the ANM and local mid-wife.

Increasing awareness of the problem has led to multiple campaigns by celebrities and journalists to combat sex-selective abortions.

The first episode “Daughters Are Precious” of the show Satyamev Jayate to raise awareness of female foeticide.

Female foeticide in India

Female foeticide is the aborting of a girl fetus in the womb before its complete growth. Why? This is because that it is female? Female foeticide has become a disgraceful and shocking truth of our nation. In India a strong fondness for sons over daughter. People desire smaller families with comparatively greater sons by abuse medical technologies. It is one of the main motives for declining sex ratio.

Female foeticide is the procedure of abortion to terminate female fetus from the womb of the mother before taking birth after the sex recognition tests like an ultrasound scan. Female foeticide and even any sex recognition test is illegal in India. It is the shame for the parents who are despairing for a baby boy as well as doctors doing abortions especially for this.

Female foeticide has been in practice for periods especially for the families who have a preference only male child. Several religious, social, financial and emotional are the reason for female foeticide. Therefore the time has been changed now much however, many reasons and beliefs are ongoing in some families. Some main reasons for female foeticide are:

  • Generally, parents don’t want a girl baby because they have to give a big amount as a dowry at daughter’s marriage.
  • There is a faith that girls are always consumer and boys are the only producer. Thus Parents understand that son will earn money for the whole life and care their parents however girls will get married a day and will have a separate family.
  • There is a belief that the son will carry the name of the family in future however the girl has to carry the husband’s family.
  • This is a prestige issue in society for parent and grandparent to have a boy baby in the family besides having a daughter.
  • There is a stress on the new bride of the family to give birth to a male child so she is enforced to go for sex recognition and abort if girl baby.
  • Illiteracy, insecurity, and poverty of people in society are also major reasons for girl baby burden.
  • Science and Technological advancement and utilities have made this very easy task for parents.

Sex ratio denotes the ratio of females to males in a specific region. Many practices like female foeticide and female infanticide (killing a baby girl after her birth) have had a contrary influence on the sex ratio. Thus it rises and promotes many social evils.

As per the decennial Indian census, Sex Ratio of India is 107.48. It means 107.48 males per 100 females in 2019. Therefore India has 930 females per 1000 males. So, India has 48.20% female population compare to 51.80% male population.

Effective Measures to Control:

As we all know that female foeticide is a crime and social evil for the future of women. Hence we should notice the causes for female foeticide in Indian society. Female infanticide or female feticide is primarily because of sex determination. Some measures are:

  • Law must be implemented and one should be surely punished if found guilty for this unkind exercise.
  • Permanent cancellation of license should be done if it is going on in medical practice.
  • Marketing of medical tools specifically for illegal sex determination and abortion should be a bane.
  • Parents must be fined who want to kill their girl baby.
  • Campaigns and seminars should be regularly held to aware of young couples.
  • Women should be aware so that they can be more attentive to their rights.

Female foeticide is suicide. So, save the girl child and secure the future. There will be the dangerous results of the female foeticide. Demography reports warn India that in the next twenty years there will be a scarcity of brides in the marriage market mostly because of the adverse sex ratio.