FEMALE FOETICIDE
By- Sneha Nandi
Female foeticide is a raising issue in the world. ‘Foeticide’ means abortion of foetus outside the legal methods. Female foeticide is the process of finding out the sex of a foetus and aborting the child if it is a girl. The process is being continued through decades. Though Various laws have been made under various acts and it is illegal but many people are still practicing this. There are some communities they practices customs like Killing of girl child after she is born.
There are many causes of female foeticide such as, women are considered to be a great financial burden, socio- cultural practices ( dowry & violence against women), small family norm, status of women, tendency to have son etc. are the most causes for misuse of the diagnostic technologies with the intention to female foeticide.
Mostly, in north-western states the female foeticide rate is higher, such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir.
In order to lower the female foeticide the Indian Government take an initiative and enacted the pre- Conception and Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC- PNDT) Act, 1994. The PC- PNDT Act prohibits sex selection and make regulations to prevent the misuses of diagnostic techniques. The Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act provides for punishment of imprisonment, which can be extended to three years and fine up to 50,000.
Vinod Soni vs. Union of India
In this case the constitutional validity of the Pre- Conception and Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act was challenged by a Mumbai couple. The Supreme Court said that the Fundamental right under 21, which states right to life and personal, is getting hampered to the Child.
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