Female Foeticide and Female Infanticide: Perceptions of Situation in the Combined State of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Sex selective abortions and increase in the number of female infanticide cases have become a significant social phenomenon in several parts of Andhra Pradesh. The girl children become target of attack even before they are born. Several studies were focused around this alarming issue and revealed that the technological advances in the field of medicine – the tests like Amniocentesis and Ultra-sonography which were originally designed for detection of congenital abnormalities of the foetus, are being misused for knowing the sex of the foetus with the intention of aborting it if it happens to be that of a female. The worst situation is when these abortions are carried out well beyond the safe period of 12 weeks endangering the women's life. The present study analyses the reasons and practices adopted for female foeticide and infanticide existing in the rural, urban and tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh. A sample of four hundred and twenty men and women belonging to Hindu, Islam and Christian religions were interviewed to study the incidence of female foeticide and infanticide in the Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telanagana regions of Andhra Pradesh.