Well, this is how the old adage goes. However, does it hold true always??? Maybe the situation we have at hand will help us to decide this to a certain extent.
It’s a regular piece of news that female infanticide, female foeticide and other such heinous crimes are being committed in states such as Punjab and Haryana. It is commendable how efficiently the people over there keep at this activity as we can make out from the fact that we get to read about these incidents every week. (I have always felt that people over there do not have a sound knowledge of biology ; afterall they say ‘Sher da puttar’,’mard ka bachha’…….arre bhai it is the female of the species who give birth; praise the sherni not the sher.)
The Govt. of India has declared the embryo-test kit illegal and anyone using it and/or helping someone to use it is culpable and will be punished by the court of law. This means that the doctor, expectant parents and others who are a part of this fray will all be put behind bars or asked to cough up a hefty fine if caught. However, this has not deterred either the expectant parents or the doctor from conducting the sex-determination test. Infact, the doctors are giving the old saying ‘make hay while the sun shines’, a whole new meaning. They have started to charge exorbitant amounts to carry out the tests and the abortion process thereafter, if required.
‘If required’; now this is where the issue lies. This requirement has given rise to a new kind of crime. I am not trying to explain what this requirement means. The meaning is as old as the hills. ‘We do not want a girl child.’ Period. Everyone around wants a boy (if not all their children then atleast one…..”please God, help me get a boy….I am taking my share of efforts but you don’t seem to understand my plight”….This seems to be the prayer on people’s lips.).
(Forget about the value of a girl child…….atleast consider this: how are we going to start a family without a woman??? It is a genuine issue in Punjab and Haryana where the ratio of the number of females to that of males is not favourable……….and we say that homosexuality is a taboo in India.)
Before I get to the problem, let me just briefly describe the entire procedure that takes place. First nature plays its part. Then we have an expecting mother and the couple wants to know whether it’s going to be a boy (dowry earner, family name bearer) or a girl (dowry loser…..family name loser….what a waste!!!!!). If the test shows that the foetus is a male one then it’s perfectly fine otherwise the dreaded step of abortion has to be taken. Now, since there is a good demand of this thing doctors have raised their surgical charges.
But the doctors’ greed didn’t end there. They have started to falsely state that the foetus is a female one even though it is a male one. Now, this has been going on for some time now. (Even the poor woodcutter didn’t claim the silver and the golden axes when offered but took the humble wooden axe which belonged to him…….and look at our doctors… What a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) This entire scenario is the big, fat, dark, dense cloud I was talking about.
However, with proper and abundant media coverage this situation can be brought under control. If required the media should manipulate the data in favour of the law (just increase the number of crimes committed). People should be made aware of this malpractice (false detection) carried out by the doctors. I am quite sure that people will think twice before going to a doctor if at all they go after such incidents. The Govt. need not go about preaching the value of a girl child. This process will stop anyway ; to save the boy child.
So, the atrocious process if continued will surely lead to its discontinuity. Well, we can consider this to be the silver lining (although there will have to be quite a few foetus sacrifices in the process).
But, the feminists may not still be pleased for the simple reason that this process will not stop because there will be an increased awareness of the beauty of having a girl child but about the increased fear of losing the ‘precious’ boy child.
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