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Background The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PC&PNDT Act), 1994 was enacted to prevent sex determination and female feticide. As a mandatory statutory requirement, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India has to renew its PC&PNDT license after every 5 years. Aim The current study was undertaken with an objective to delineate in detail, the process of PC&PNDT license renewal, and the challenges dealt with while submitting the renewal application. Methods and Material An observational descriptive study was conducted from February to July 2022. The renewal process was categorized into preapplication, application, and postapplication phases. The requisite documents and data were collected from the Hospital Establishment Section and Medical Records Department. Results The preapplication phase involved obtaining details from 24 departments, with 20 responding initially. Challenges included incomplete documents and deficient details. The application phase required consolidation, affidavits, form filling, and fee payment. Postapplication, an inspection was conducted, and the renewal certification was obtained. Conclusion The study highlights the complexities of renewal of PC&PNDT license of a large multispecialty tertiary care teaching hospital. Planning leads obtained during various phases could serve as a guiding template for other similar teaching hospitals. The study suggests the need for digitalization and streamlining of documentation process to ease out the renewal process and hence contribute to better patient care at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PC&PNDT Act), 1994 was enacted to prevent sex determination and female feticide. As a mandatory statutory requirement, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India has to renew its PC&PNDT license after every 5 years.

Background: The preference for male children over female children has resulted in a declining sex ratio. We need to tackle and treat the mindset of people who don’t value the existence of females and consider them a burden. Objectives: To study the knowledge and perceptions related to female feticide among medical students of Mangalore. Methodology: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out among third and fourth year MBBS students of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. A sample size of 300 was calculated and they were selected into the study using Convenient Sampling. Data were entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 29. Results: Around 94.6 % of the participants were aware of the correct meaning of the term “Female feticide”. Almost, 94.3 % of the participants had an awareness about the practice of female feticide being prevalent in India. Nearly 74% of participants received information about female feticide from multiple media sources and 51.1 % from Newspapers. Conclusion: The study shows medical students have the optimum level of awareness about the factors of female feticide. They favoured that the decline in sex ratio is the main impact of female feticide.

Nearly a million Indian women lack access to safe and dignified abortion services from public healthcare facilities and instead opt to induce abortions by themselves or with the help from unskilled and unauthorized practitioners. Unsafe abortions account for an estimated 9% of all maternal deaths in India despite the legalization of abortion on all grounds since 1971 via the MTP Act. However, the Act technically does not make any provision for abortion based on a woman's request alone, subjecting her decision to the approval of her healthcare provider, limiting reproductive autonomy. Moreover, the problem of female feticide through sex‐selective abortions has also contributed to a conflicting public agenda that prioritizes preventing the former over allowing women access to abortion services for other reasons. Women who are socio‐economically, culturally, and educationally vulnerable and minors may experience further abortion related stigmatization. These ethico‐legal considerations highlight the need for transition from a provider‐centered to a woman‐centered abortion service model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada has come a long way since Dr. C. Henry Kempe first described battered-child syndrome in 1962. The year 1999 was crucial in Canada's battle against shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma (SBS/AHT), when the first national conference on the topic was held in Saskatoon. This was followed by the issuance of a national statement and multidisciplinary guidelines, recently updated in 2020. Incidence of AHT in Canada is similar to that found in population-based studies from Switzerland and New Zealand. The mainstay of prevention of AHT in Canada is education of parents and caregivers with respect to their response to infant crying. Population-based data for global incidence of AHT are lacking, largely because of social and cultural differences contributing to poor understanding of AHT as a medico-legal entity. India faces a distinct challenge in the battle against female feticide and infanticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing population was a concern from an ancient society. In the 4th century B.C., when the world had a population of less than 200 million, during that time Plato and Aristotle recommended strict control of birth rates for the state. Even according to Sir Julian Huxley "Over-population is, in my opinion, the most serious threat to the whole future of our species". In one of the book "The Population Bomb" written by Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich, has explained the population problem of India and the need for its urgent control. Currently, India is facing a serious problem of overpopulation. India though in its past has taken all measures to control the growing population like the introduction of family planning program, Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, mass sterilization of men and women, incentives benefits for having a small family, etc. but all this measure failed to control the population of India. So, recently Indian Government drafted one Bill namely Population Control Bill, 2018. Like any other bill, this bill too has some demerits. The purpose of this study is to do the critical study of the bill so that the researcher can highlight the drawbacks of it along with suggestive remedy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian women writing in English is recognized as the major contribution in Indian Writing in English literature. Anita Nair, India's best-selling author of fiction and poetry, always had an affinity towards writing fiction which encourages women to pursue their life under all the situations. Nair relates to the role women play in their lives and it is reflected in her work. This research paper aims to explore the elements of feminism in Anita Nair's Lessons In Forgetting. The paper seeks to study the work of Nair's Lesson In Forgetting and deals with various problems faced by the women characters such as female foeticide, gender discrimination, love and dependence on family members. The paper also explains briefly how women overcome such problems to move on with their lives. As per the title, the lessons that were taught to women are forgotten only to lead the ensuing, happiest life. Feminism lies not only on worries and depression but also on happiness and expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female feticide is one of the visible violence against women and now this is spreading across the country. Someone has to take action against this crime but is helpless. So, the present study was planned to assess association of family planning and birth control with age and sex ratio. The study was conducted in Utt ar Pradesh state with nine districts randomly selected on the basis of sexratio i.e. high, middle and low. Fifty respondents were randomly selected from each district. Data was collected by using standardized scale "Family Planning and Birth Control Att itude Scale" developed by Dr. M. Rajamanickam (2005) with four variables (Family Planning, Birth Control, Abortion, and Age of Marriage). Results revealed that majority of female respondents (52%) were in early adulthood (18-40yrs) category while majority of male respondents (52%) were in middle age (41-60yrs) category and vice versa. Equal percentage of male and female (50%) respondents was in all districts of high, middle and low sexratio. Results throws light on four variables in which mean value was seen more in family planning variable i.e.-31.19 in middle sex-ratio districts. Mean values in other three variables were i.e. - Birth Control-30.09, Abortion-26.33, and Age of Marriage-30.45. Data further asserted that significant association was found between all variables. (Family planning F=9.68, Birth Control F=3.85, Abortion F=9.54, and Age of Marriage F=9.29) and districts of all sex-ratio. In case of age, data further pin pointed that regarding family planning variable; mean value was more (30.90) in middle age group. Mean values in other three variables were i.e. Birth Control-30.10, Abortion-25.81, and Age of Marriage-30.09. Data further reported that significant association was found between all variables. i.e. Family planning (t=3.39) Birth Control t=3.90, Abortion=5.12, Age of Marriage t=3.59. It is concluded that districts with middle sex ratio and middle age respondents were in favor of family planning and birth control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female feticide is one of the serious issues of the 21st century which needs to be taken care and tackled eff ectively by the human society. Female feticide resulted in lower sex ratio which caused many social problems like increased rape cases, molestation and growth of the homo sexuality in the society. The objective of the study is to assess the prevalence of girl feticide in diff erent districts of Utt ar Pradesh. The study was conducted in Utt ar Pradesh state with nine districts randomly selected on the basis of sex-ratio i.e. high, middle and low. Fifty respondents were randomly selected from each district. Data was collected using an interview schedule having 37 statements. Results revealed that majority of male respondents (52%) were in middle age category and female respondents (52%) were in early adulthood category. Most of the male and female respondents (81.8% and 79.1%) were married respectively and most of the male and female respondents belong to urban area. Mean score of the respondents opinion/notion regarding female feticide was seen more among districts of middle sexratio (69.3%). Significant diff erence exists in sex ratio and opinion regarding female feticide (χ2-12.27). Middle age respondents (64%) showed their favorable response to the statements regarding female feticide with significant diff erence between age and opinion regarding female feticide (χ2-8.02). Significant diff erence was also seen in locality and opinion regarding female feticide (χ2-9.64). Results of study revealed that middle age respondents of districts of middle sex-ratio of urban locality were against female feticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Girl child continues to be insecure and vulnerable in South-East Asia particularly in India despite various legal measures. Only law cannot be a solution, identifying the social factors and working on their improvements are also essential. Aims and Objectives: (1) To assess the present child sex ratio (0-6 child sex ratio [CSR]) in defined study population. (2) To assess the attitude of the women of the reproductive age group toward the girl child and relate it to the status of sex ratio. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a sub locality of 283 households out of which 147 households having children in age group of 0-6 years were selected and mothers of children were interviewed with a prestructured pretested questionnaire containing a rating scale of 40 items in vernacular language to determine the attitude of the mother toward girl child. Results: Total no. of children in the age group of 0-6 years were found to be 241, with CSR of 709 but had a sharp contrast in children

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Disability, as a class-facing discrimination, and oppression in society is largely ignored. Often, discrimination based on disability is considered valid because there is a biological distinction that justifies the discrimination. This Article draws parallels between the discrimination faced by other oppressed classes (based on sex, orientation, race, caste, etc.) and the disabled using the social model of disability. The term "enabled" is used to refer to those who are not disabled to emphasize that disability and the lack thereof are both societal constructs. This Article highlights and analyzes narratives of abortion as a means to illustrate discrimination faced by the disabled population. Specifically, the Article takes cues from the way female feticide has been addressed in India to look at potential solutions to the issue of erasure of disabled persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The preference of a male child over a female child has been the main cause for female feticide. The causes can be broadly divided under the grounds of religion, economic and social aspects. Objectives: To assess the awareness and the attitude regarding female feticide among adolescents. Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried at few pre-university colleges in Mangalore. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The study included 300 adolescents. 45.7% stated that the major cause for practice of feticide is discrimination between male and female. Majority (62%) of them were aware of all the diagnostic methods to determine the sex of the child and termination methods. 43.3% of the students were aware about the laws enforced. 37% believe that enforcing strict laws could be the way to stop female feticide. Conclusion: Adolescents agreed that the decline in sex ratio is the main impact of female feticide. The students have adequate knowledge about diagnostic methods used for sex determination. They believe that strict law implementation is a promising way to stop female male feticide. However, they were not knowledgeable about the laws enforced for the control.

Introduction: The male-to-female ratio of live births is expressed as the ratio of male births divided by total births (M/F). Males are produced approximately 3% in excess. A large number of factors have been found to influence M/F. Stress and privation reduces M/F. Gender preference (which almost invariably favours males) with selective female foetal abortion increases M/F. This study was carried out in order to assess a United Nations data set for evidence of global trends in M/F in relation to broad socioeconomic conditions and male preference.Methods: Data (M/F and total births, 1955-2009) was obtained from the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, Population Estimates and Projection Section. The following regions were analysed: more developed countries, less developed countries and least developed countries (as defined by the UN General Assembly).Results: More developed countries: M/F was initially stable at 0.53 up to 1979 then fell to 0.525. Less developed countries: M/F was initially stable at 0.53 then rose after 1984 to 0.545 with a rise in male births and a fall in female births (estimated female birth deficit=48734993). Least developed countries: exhibited a stable M/F of 0.52 (all p<<0.001).Discussion: This study has confirmed, on a global scale, that least developed countries have the lowest M/F. The rise in M/F in developed countries (which includes Asia) confirms widespread selective female foeticide due to cultural male preference. The declining trend in M/F in developed countries has been previously noted and remains unexplained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the Indian girl child′s position is precarious throughout the country, she remains the most vulnerable in Punjab. Objectives: To assess the awareness and perceptions of school children regarding female feticide. Study Design: Cross- sectional study. Materials and Methods: The study involved collection of information regarding knowledge and perception of school students about female feticide using multiple choice questionnaire. A total of 527 students between the age group of 11-18 years of various schools of district Ludhiana, Punjab were the study subjects. They had come to participate in the poster competition on organ donation (SAARC Transplant games), organized by Department of Community Medicine, D.M.C and H, Ludhiana. Results: Out of total 527 students, 97.9% were aware of female feticide. Main source of information was TV (56%), followed by newspaper (33%). Majority of the students (65.2 %) felt that discrimination between boys and girls is prevalent in the society. Regarding perception of school students for curbing this social evil, 37.8% school students were of the view that awareness among the masses is the solution to stop this practice, while 25% of the students responded that equal status to girls will stop this practice of female feticide. Conclusions: The school students had optimum level of awareness about female feticide and almost all of them strongly felt that this harmful practice should be stopped altogether.

Background: The poor ovarian response (POR) to ovarian stimulation significantly decreases the efficiency of assisted reproduction technologies. The genesis of POR is not well understood, and can result from various genetic and immune factors. Purpose: To determine the role of genetic (number of CGG repeats in theFMR1-gene) and autoimmune factors (anti-ovarian antibodies) in POR in IVF programs. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 150 infertile women were divided into the POR group (n = 65) and the group with a normal ovarian response (n = 85). All the patients underwent the detection of CGG repeats in theFMR1-gene by polymerase chain reaction, serum anti-zona pellucida antibodies (AZPA) and anti-ovarian antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The risk of POR was higher in patients with CGG counts > 34, but not in the patients with CGG counts < 26. The higher level of AZPA was found in the patients with the 26–34 CGG repeats compared to the patients with <26/> 34 CGG repeats. Conclusion: A higher number of CGG repeats in theFMR1-gene may be a risk factor of POR in IVF programs. Normal CGG counts in regard to ovarian reserve (26–34) suggest the autoimmune-driven POR. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although doctors still frequently call out “It’s a girl!” when a baby girl is born, the majority of mothers now use ultrasound to find out the sex months earlier. This study examines how women who learn the sex of their fetus before birth are engaging in gendered verbal interactions throughout pregnancy. These include types of conversations, usage of gendered pronouns, and calling the unborn baby by a given name. These changes in behaviors by pregnant woman once fetal sex is known can be seen as a form of anticipatory socialization, as they begin to practice the behaviors and values associated with the role of being either a mother of a son or mother of a daughter. Findings also discuss general differences between mothers who choose to find out fetal sex and those who choose not to. The research is based on in-depth interviews with middle-class mothers in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the issue of the conditional cash transfers scheme for the girl child in Haryana. The beneficiary mothers and the persons involved in the implementation of the scheme were interviewed with the help of an in-depth interview guide to gather quantitative and qualitative data. It was found that though the scheme’s aim is to improve attitudes and create a favourable attitude towards the girl child, it has not been able to achieve the desired outcomes. Education and the upbringing of the girl child were not concerns of either parents or stakeholders responsible for implementing the scheme. The questions raised by the study are: when parents still want a male heir for their family, will governmental efforts succeed in stopping female foeticide, especially in the case of a third daughter? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author discusses aspects of the new legislation implemented in the U.S. states which ban abortion among women who do not want children of a certain sex. Author opines that the law is targeted at Asian American women who favor male children and abort female fetuses. Though there is no tangible evidence for the argument, the author feels there is a relation between Asian population in the U.S. and the new law. Author could not find any empirical support on the hypothesis that Asians in the U.S. prefer boys to girls.

Background: Although the Indian girl child's position is precarious throughout the country, she remains the most vulnerable in Punjab. Objectives: To assess the perception of females regarding female feticide. Study Design: Cross- sectional study. Materials and Methods: The study involved collection of information regarding perception of females about female feticide using multiple-choice questionnaire. Two hundred and fifty female patients attending medical and surgical OPD's of selected hospital were recruited in the study by using simple random sampling. Results: Majority of the females perceived that male child is more preferred in society. Moreover, majority of subjects have the view that female feticide has harmful impact on the society and should be stopped. The suggestion given by subjects to curb this evil practice included enforcement of strict laws, punishment to people and doctor involved and creating awareness regarding the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Repidly declining sex ratio has highlighted a strong son preference among many societies various methods are employed by people to get a son. Objective: To determine the use pattern of sex selection drugs (SSDs) in rural North India. Methods: An integrated qualitative and quantitative study was conducted in rural North India. A rapid population and hospital based survey of women in their early reproductive life was done in the study area to enlist the respondents. Few SSD samples were collected and analyzed. Results: SSDs were freely available from grocers, chemist shops and specific people in villages. These contained Shivalingi (Bryonia Laciniosa) and Majuphal (Gtuercus infectoria). SSD use rate was 46% and 30% in community based and hospital based studies respectively. Use rate was significantly higher in women who did not have any son. Of the SSD samples and two individual ingredients analyzed by thin layer chromatography, 3 contained testosterone and one progesterone; one ingredient contained testosterone and the other natural steroids. Conclusion: Use of SSDs seems to be very common in North India. Implication of presence of steroids in SSDs needs further evaluation.

Background: Males are born in excess of females, expressed as M/T (male/total births), which is expected to approximate 0.515. Racial M/T disparities have been long known. This study was carried out in order to identify such disparities in different races in the United States.Design: Monthly male and female live births by race for the entire US were obtained from the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 1995-2014 for the four racial groups: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American and White.Results: This study analysed 80805992 live births (M/T 0.5117). M/T was Asian or Pacific Islander>White>American Indian or Alaska Native>Black or African American. The M/T gradient across races was highly significant (p<0.0001).Conclusions: The perinatal mortality rate is an important indicator of quality of health care delivery and is expected to approximate 6/1000 births. M/T declines in association with surrogates of socioeconomic status, presumably due to higher stress levels. The lower baseline M/T of Indian or Alaska Native and Black and African American is equivalent to a constant reduction of 3.5-4/1000 male births when compared to White M/T. Race is the most significant variable associated with wealth inequality in the US and may be partially responsible. Sex-selective abortion and the application of a male offspring preference stopping rule is widespread in Asia its immigrants, and in this study is equivalent a constant loss of 3.5 females foetuses per 1000 live births when compared to Whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses the study concerning pro-choice which covers all the way to the sex-selective abortion in Great Britain. It mentions the debate revolved around the question of whether the right to abortion was so sacrosanct. It raises the question if people should defend a woman's right to choose even if it involves female foeticide, and shares the author's perspective as a pro-choice feminist herself.

Formal equality for Sikh women is explicitly enshrined in Indian and Sikh law. Despite formal guarantees of equality, Sikh women experience pervasive violence against women (VAW). I consider female feticide among Sikhs as one example of VAW. In particular, I examine current feminist explanations of VAW in Sikh and Punjab Studies and extend these explanations by bringing the symbolic and physical body into a single analysis because the symbolic body is mediated through contextual, situated, and embodied practice. I argue that we cannot equate the adoption of formal or religious laws with effective implementation or enforcement. Rather, I call for a critical examination of the gap between formal and religious law and women's lived reality to demonstrate how gender determines who is most vulnerable to violence, and to reveal how a singular focus on the symbolic body may maintain and perpetuate the very gender violence feminists seek to eradicate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skewed sex ratio is an issue of major concern. The problem is getting worse with the misuse of technology that facilitates pre-natal sex determination. This is happening across the country in spite of a massive influx of legal regulations banning the same. In this light, the study of awareness of same becomes very relevant and needs to be evaluated. At the heart of problem of female feticide is impact of advertisement about the facility of prenatal sex determination, and the unawareness about legal rules and regulations forbidding the same as PNDT Act. Aims: To study the awareness and perceptions of rural women regarding sex determination and gender discrimination Settings and Design: A Community based cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: Multistage sampling was used and 317 rural married women in reproductive age group were interviewed. Statistical analysis used: Result expressed in percentages and chi-square test. Results: 80% of females irrespective of their literacy status were aware about prenatal sex determination. However, 67% were unaware of PNDT Act and the unawareness was significantly associated with literacy status of women. Regarding perceptions, 94% felt that females still do not enjoy equal rights as males. Eighty eight percent wished to conceive for male child if their family would have been complete with female children. Conclusions: It is necessary to gear the efforts against this social malady by intensive IEC campaigns for raising awareness about rules forbidding pre-natal sex determination and strict implementation of PNDT Act. At the heart of problem is impact of advertisement about the facility of prenatal sex determination and the unawareness of legal regulations forbidding feticide as PNDT Act.

Background: Female feticide, skewed sex ratio, and its attendant social evils have grave ethical undertones for medical professionals and our commitment to save lives. A concerted effort by all is essential against female feticide. Aim: This study was to assess the knowledge of female feticide, declining sex ratio, and corrective measures among medical interns. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 79 medical interns. Data werecollected with the help of predesigned structured questionnaire. Chi-square tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Z tests were used to test the significance level. Results: Knowledge of current sex ratio was significantly better among female interns than male interns. Majority of interns opined that creating awareness is an effective measure to combat declining sex ratio and only 33 interns had correct knowledge regarding all measures. Only 37.9% of interns knew all the legal indications for use of prenatal diagnostic techniques. However, 81% of interns were aware of punishments mentioned for violation of the Act. Mean score of knowledge was 22.06 among males and 24.4 among females. Conclusion: The findings in our study underline the need to sensitize doctors regardingevery aspect of Pre-Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act and selective sex determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: There are many women “missing” due to an unfavourable sex ratio in India,, which has strong patriarchal norms and a preference for sons. Female gender discrimination has been reported in health care, nutrition, education, and resource allocation due to man-made norms, religious beliefs, and recently by ultrasonography resulting in lowered sex ratio. Methods: The present study attempts to find out the level of awareness regarding sex determination and to explore preference of gender and factors associated among antenatal mothers attending a medical college in eastern India. Interviews were done by predesigned pretested proforma over 6 months. The data were analysed by SPSS 16.0 software for proportions with chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Most women who were multigravida did not know about contraceptives; 1.8% of mothers knew the sex of the fetus in present pregnancy while another 34.7% expressed willingness; 13.6% knew of a place which could tell sex of the fetus beforehand; 55.6% expressed their preference of sex of the baby for present pregnancy while 50.6% of their husbands had gender preference. Gender preference was significantly high in subjects with: lower socioeconomic status (p=0.011); lower level of education of mother (p=0.047) and husband (p=0.0001); multigravida (p=0.002); presence of living children (p=0.0001); and husband having preference of sex of baby (p=0.0001). Conclusions: Parental education, socioeconomic background, and number of living issues were the main predictors for gender preference. Awareness regarding gender preference and related law and parental counselling to avoid gender preference with adoption of small family norm is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

India has had a historical deficit of women as compared to most other countries of the world. The skew in the male- female ratio had attained alarming proportions especially in the north-western parts of the country according to the 2001 census report. However it is the dwindling child sex ratio being at its lowest since independence, which is emerging as an area of great concern. There are various reasons for this skew, but the one which has recently become most prominent is the practice of female foeticide. This article analyses the phenomenon of female foeticide, its causes, impact and the various interventions adopted by the governmental authorities with particular reference to the state of Punjab. A socio-cultural analysis of the problem in Punjab becomes essential given its highly distorted sex ratio. Besides the article also attempts to compare and contrast the Nawanshahr Model and the Chandigarh Union Territory Model for fighting female foeticide in Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]