Indian society is patriarchal in nature with an inborn desire for the birth of a male child in the family.
This desire along with many prevailing superstitions gives rise indiscriminate abortion of female foetuses.
Some of the worst gender ratios, indicating gross violation of women's rights, are found in South and East Asian countries such as India and China.
The determination of the sex of the foetus by ultrasound scanning, amniocentesis, and in vitro fertilization has aggravated this situation.
No moral or ethical principle supports such a procedure for gender identification.
The situation is further worsened by a lack of awareness of women's rights and by the indifferent attitude of governments and medical professionals.
Large scale abortion of female foetuses continues in many states despite stringent conditions incorporated in the Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques (Prohibition in sex selection) Act.
The juvenile sex ratio continues to decline dangerously and is expanding geographically in a development which could have serious repercussions in the future, especially on the status of women in the country.
Background -The killing of women exists in various forms in societies the world over.
However, Indian society displays some unique and particularly brutal versions, such as dowry deaths and sati.
Female feoticide is an extreme manifestation of violence against women.
Female foetuses are selectively aborted after pre-natal sex determination, thus avoiding the birth of girls.
In some parts of the country, the sex ratio of girls to boys has dropped to less than 800:1,000.
The sex ratio has altered consistently in favour of boys since the beginning of the 20th century and the effect has been most pronounced in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
Worryingly, the trend is far stronger in urban rather than rural areas, and among literate rather than illiterate women, exploding the myth that growing affluence and spread of basic education alone will result in the erosion of gender bias.
Status of Indian Women -The adverse sex ratio has been linked with the low status of women in Indian communities, both Hindu and Muslim.
The birth of a son is regarded as essential in Hinduism and many prayers and lavish offerings are made in temples in the hope of having a male child.
Religion operates alongside other cultural and economic factors in lowering the status of women.
The practice of dowry has spread nationwide, to communities and castes in which it had never been the custom.
The need for a dowry for girl children, and the ability to demand a dowry for boys exerts considerable economic pressure on families to use any means to avoid having girls, who are seen as a liability.
Most of those in the medical profession, being part of the same gender biased society, are steeped in the same attitudes concerning women.
It is scarcely surprising that they are happy to fulfill the demands of prospective parents.
Medical malpractice in this area is flourishing, and bans on gender selection have had little effect.
Consequences of female feoticide-The pregnant woman is frequently pressurized to undergo such procedures.
Many women suffer from psychological trauma as a result of forcibly undergoing repeated abortions.
More generally, in the next twenty years there will be a shortage of brides in the marriage market mainly because of the adverse juvenile sex ratio, combined with an overall decline in fertility.
While fertility is declining more rapidly in urban and educated families, nevertheless the preference for male children remains strong.
For these families, modern medical technologies are within easy reach.
Thus selective abortion and sex selection are becoming more common.
In rural areas, as the number of marriageable women declines, men would tend to marry younger women, leading to a rise in fertility rates and thus a high rate of population growth.
The abduction of girls is an associated phenomenon.
Steps to stop female feoticide- The government should direct its energies to bring about pro-active legislations and gender budgeting.
An approach to economic empowerment could help bring about gender equity across all spheres- be it social, economic or political.
Inculcating a strong ethical code of conduct among medical professionals, beginning with their training as undergraduates would help.
The empowerment of women and a strengthening of women's rights through campaigning against practices such as dowry, and ensuring strict implementation of existing legislation should be done.
Ultimately ending gender bias hinges on whether an attitudinal shift takes place and when male-oriented bias is replaced by the realization that women are not children of a lesser God.