Family Planning Policies and Sex Selective Abortions in India: Does the former elevate the latter?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12724/ajss.59.5Keywords:
pre-natal diagnostic techniques, Sex- Selective Abortion, Family Planning Policy, Total Fertility Rate, Child Sex Ratio, Son PreferenceAbstract
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.
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