Washington Times Series Examines Sex-Selective Abortions In India

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 05 Mar 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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The Washington Times this week published a four-part series examining the prevalence of sex-selective abortions in India. The country in 1994 approved the Prenatal Determination Act, which bans the use of technologies such as ultrasounds and sonograms for the purpose of sex-selective abortion. The law also bans advertisements for prenatal sex determination, as well as the practice of preconception sex selection law. According to a UNICEF report released in December 2006, about 7,000 fewer girls than expected are born daily in India, and about 10 million fewer girls than expected were born in the past 20 years. The most recent Indian census figures found that the gender ratio decreased from 947 girls per 1,000 boys to 927 girls per 1,000 boys from 1991 to 2001. Renuka Chowdhury, minister of women and child development, earlier this month said the Indian government plans to set up orphanages in each regional district for female infants in an effort to curb sex-selective abortions (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/21). Headlines of the series appear below.

• "India's Imbalance of Sexes" (Duin, Washington Times, 2/26).
  
  
• "Brides Bound by Traditions" (Duin, Washington Times, 2/27).
  
  
• "Lots of Stings, No Pain" (Duin, Washington Times, 2/28).
  
  
• "GE Machines Used To Break Law" (Duin, Washington Times, 3/1).
  

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