Family Planning Policies and Sex Selective Abortions in India: Does the former elevate the latter?

Family Planning Policies and Sex Selective Abortions in India: Does the former elevate the latter?

pre-natal diagnostic techniques

Sex- Selective Abortion

Family Planning Policy

Total Fertility Rate

Child Sex Ratio

Son Preference

The implementation of the Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 in a patriarchal country like India does not necessarily eliminate sex-selective abortions. The prevalence of a higher preference  of sons in India can be identified in previous  studies. Over the years a drastic fall in Total  Fertility Rates both in urban and rural areas of India can be observed along with various     inventions of sex determination techniques.    All this has resulted in a decline in child sex  ratio across the country. China is a great example of a country with alarming gender imbalances, which emerged due to similar changes in Total Fertility Rate, level of son preference and diagnostic techniques along with the implementation of the One-Child Policy, which made the gender imbalance even worse. The population explosion in India has forced several state governments to consider the implementation of a Two Child Policy. The relationship between Sex Selective Abortions (SSA) and Family Planning Policies is not a well-established phenomenon in India as per several studies that have been conducted as of today. Our objective in this paper is to see whether the stringent implementation of nation-wide Family Planning Policies will lead to a rise in sex selective abortions in India. Further we would also like to analyse how in India by imposing a Family Planning Policy like a one or a two-child policy will the Child Sex Ratio (age 0-6) get affected? To achieve these objectives, we have used the NFHS-4 reports as our data sources.

Jacob, Megha

Maria Joseph, Anu

Maria Raju, Kavya

Artha Journal of Social Sciences; Vol. 20 No. 4 (2021): Artha Journal of Social Sciences; 85-116

0000-0000

0975-329X

Centre for Publications, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore

2021-10-01

Copyright (c) 2021 Artha Journal of Social Sciences

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

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