Female foeticide

What is the root cause for female foeticide?

Dictionary meaning of foeticide : destruction or abortion of a fetus; especially illegal abortion. 

Female foeticide is an illegal act done by aborting a female fetus after determining the sex. This test like ultra-sonography (ultra sound), is usually done to know the abnormalities in the fetus. But it is misused to selective abortions by finding the sex of fetus. Female foeticide can be said as a violence on the human kind, especially to women. This is another form of violating the human rights of the unborn who has every right to see this world.

Sex selection can be termed as root cause for female foeticide. This is due to low status of women shown in our society.It may be concern safety of the girl, differences shown by in-laws, exploitation and abuse of women that has a immense effect on preferring son to daughter. The deep rooted tradition of dowry has fuelled more. It is a costly affair to raise, educate and get married (wedding expenses and dowry paid my the brides parents)a girl when compared to a boy. So girl is termed as a paraya dhan in many places in our society. These effect in many ways like negligence of girl child, denial or limited access to education and health, discrimination in the house, exposing to household labour and domestic violence. The customary practices like the Inheritance runs through males only, the son can only perform the last rite are also determining factors in sex selection.

Some other may be in the form of affordable procedures for sex determinations during pregnancy. It is much cheaper to go for abortion of girl child than to rise, educate and meet the expense of her marriage. The unethical medical practices and family norms are also some causes for female foeticide.

Government announced many rules and restrictions to avoid and condemn the female foeticide. They also announced many incentive schemes (paying premium by the government to educate the girl) to encourage families to rise a girl child. If the unethical medical practices won't stop it is not possible to stop the female foeticide.