Since India’s independence, population stabilization has been one of the prime concerns in its development agenda.

Every year, as millions of women marry, they dream of starting a family, of having their homes filled with tiny cries and the happy laughter of gurgling babies. In India however, pregnancy is too often followed by the question of
whether the unborn child is a girl or a boy.

The high female infant mortality rates (Miller, 1985), the practice of female infanticide (Krishnaswamy, 1988), the neglect of female children with regard to access to health services, nutrition (Sen and Sengupta 1983) and education (Mankekar, 1985), and the sexual abuse of girls (Bhalerao, 1985)

How does one analytically locate the social phenomenon manifested in India during the last few years since the advent of sex-selection technology in the mid- 70s?

The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, is a critical piece of legislation in India aimed at addressing and curbing the practice of sex-selective abortions and ensuring the ethical use of prenatal diagnostic technologies.

The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, is an Indian law aimed at regulating Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), sperm or egg donation, and surrogacy.