and is highly injurious to our delicate social fabric. The medical
technological advancement meant
for the diagnostic purposes, for
better treatment of certain diseases which could not be taken
care of with the help of a simple xray, or by other tests, have started
being used for the purpose not intended earlier. Since there had
been an increase in the number of
cases where children were born
with so many genetic disorders,
early diagnoses by molecular diagnostic tools, could avoid such
pregnancies by terminating them
immediately under medical guidance. This boon of medical science has been turned into a curse
for the unborn girl child. This
method for disease detection has
become a tool for sex detection
leading to another stage of cruelty
towards female.
deep roots in some of the communities in India. Various
methods were and are adopted not to allow a female child
to live. In Rajasthan, a girl child has not been able to secure
a favourable place for herself in the society. There may
have been many reasons for this mindset which can be a
good point for debate. Certain practices which must have
been started in during the rule of Muslim kings in India
since Rajasthan and Gujarat were closely associated with
Muslims. We have references to the practice of Sati and
Jauhar from Rajasthan. To avoid this situation for their
daughters, the girl child was denied the natural right to live.
Many Jat communities also resort to this practice, may be
to keep the land within the family only, as, the division of
land would have deprived the family of their only source of
livelihood.
People started aborting the female foetus even in the stage
when it was dangerous for the life of the mother. Female
infanticide has more or less now been replaced with female
foeticide. This female foeticide in the last few years have
taken such untoward dimensions that the government had
to pass certain laws to stop this unlawful and unethical
practice of sex detection leading to abortion of the female
foetus. Private clinics and doctors known to have indulged
in such practices have been punished under the law. However, this violence against even female foetus is really
shameful and a scar on the society. This has to be changed
before it is too late. The social norms attached to the birth
and death of a person needs to be reformulated. The rituals
and traditions need to be adapted and accepted by the
society considering new social set up and absolutely different family formulations. Above all, inheritance should be
equal between sons and daughters.
This wish for sons which was originally for certain reasons
which lost its original purpose over time. New reasons
associated with the death and other rituals started being
attributed to wishing for the birth of a male child or a son.
Today, this longing for sons still exists in spite of the fact
that daughters are professionally, socially and economically on the same footing as the sons, has gained a deadly
proportions. This development is irrational, irresponsible
Attitudinal changes have though been started, yet it has to
go a long way when our only concern will be to have a
healthy child rather than to know whether it is a male child
or a female child.
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