Female Foeticide in Rural Haryana

Abstract

STRONG preference for sons over daughters exists in the Indian subcontinent, east Asia, north Africa and west Asia unlike in the western countries [Muthurayappa et al 1997, Lancet 1990, Okun 1996]. People realise smaller family sizes with relatively greater number of sons by abuse of medical technologies. Pregnancies are planned by resorting to 'differential contraception' - contraception is used based on the number of surviving sons irrespective of family size [Okun 1996]. Following conception, foetal sex is determined by prenatal diagnostic techniques after which female foetuses are aborted [Park and Cho 1995. Arora 1996].