The Hindu : Front Page : Female childbirths decrease in Erode district owing to foeticide

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 13, 2007
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Female childbirths decrease in Erode district owing to foeticide

R. Sundaram

ERODE: Female childbirths have dropped drastically in Erode district because of foeticide.

Here people strictly follow single child norm, but it will invariably be a male child. There are only 900 girls for 1,000 boys in the district.

Medical termination

This was because of medical termination of female foetuses after sex determination tests, said Convener for Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion P. Phavalam. She said many affluent families too were resorting to female foeticide.

As a result, the girl child population was decreasing in the district, she said. However, she ruled out cases of female infanticide.

Survey conducted

Phavalam's organisation conducted a survey recently in the district and detected many irregularities in some nursing homes, which flouted the Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act 2002 and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971.

Genetic clinics

"In Erode there are 205 genetic clinics, genetic laboratories, ultrasound clinics and image centres. Of these only 65 centres are submitting reports. Of the 185 centres in Erode taluk only 31 centres are submitting reports,'' she said. Some scanning centres do not maintain proper records of examination.

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