Controversial Essay on practice of Feticide – A Heinous Crime

Population growth in India is a matter of great concern. Efforts at all levels, Central Government, State Governments and social organizations, are being made. According to 2001 census overall population of India had crossed 100 crores mark which is highly alarming. Various measures of family planning are being adopted and a decrease in birthrate is being witnessed but this is far below the need of the day. In 1951 birth rate per 1000 was 39.9 which came down to 29.5 in 1991 and then to 26 per 1000 in 2001. but due to increased medical facilities morality also came down from 110 per 1000 in 1981 to 71 per thousand in 2001. Thus fall in birth rates was compensated by fall in morality rate.


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In an anxiety to further reduce the birth rate abortion in case of unwanted pregnancy was legalized, of course, with the consent of both pregnant wife and her husband. But unfortunately this has taken an ugly shape and inhuman practice of foeticide. With the increase in literacy our young couples are realizing the importance of family planning and are adopting birth control measures according to their choice. They sincerely want to have not more than two children. But they also went that at least one of them must be male child. In case the first child is a male, they do not bother whether second child is a female. They want that the second child must be male and to ensure this they resort to unscrupulous means.

Medical science has made great progress, immediately after the egg reaches the stages of turning into factious medical experts possess the knowledge to find out whether the foetus is male female. Ultra sound of the exceptional mother is the easiest technique to know the sex of the foetus. Their dignosis of the sex provides the mother an opportunity to choose whether she wants to maintain her pregnancy or she opts to destroy is. It may be noted here that at this stage destruction of pregnancy is not “ABORTION”. It is “FOETICIDE”, the most heinous crime of murder in cold blood, murder of an innocent being who has not even seen the world, who has done no wrong to anyone and possesses no means of self defense.


Not withstanding the legal aspect of the crime of foeticide, it amounts to crime against the society, against the nation and against humanity at large male: Female ratio is falling every day. Whereas it should be 1:1 or 100: 100 or 1000: 1000 it has come down to 1000 males: 750 females in some states and in no state the ratio is 1 : 1. if this trend continues and the population goes disproportionate, corruption will go rampant in the society. Everyday and everywhere there would the incidents of criminal assault, rape and murder. Chastity of women, being the weaker sex, would be at stake and a stage might come when there would be street fighting of males for a female just as a we witness dogs fighting for a bitch in the streets. Man would again then go into dogs.

The Government is alive to the situation and determination of sex of the foetas has been declared a legal offence for medical practitioners as also feticide is a criminal offence for the parents and those who help in the crime i.e. doctors, nurse and attendants. However, it would be much better and safer if we realize our moral obligations and let our sense of justice, sense of duty towards the society and voice of our conscience wake for the betterment of humanity. We should make no distinction between a son and a daughter. It has been seen that daughters are often more loving and more dutiful towards their parents in old age. Girls by nature are a symbol of love and sacrifice. Their love and affection is selfless. They do not desire anything in return for their affection and service. Then why craze for a son especially under the charged environment when our girls are surpassing our boys in most of the fields.
