A very interesting case was discussed in Community Med posting today, which has created chaos among ourselves judging where is the grey zone.
25years old lady G2P1L1, literacy level 2nd PUC (equivalent to STPM/A-levels/SAM/IB etc) came with the history of passing large clots per vagina since 2days. After eliciting a detailed history we found out that she went to a clinic which is like miles away from the usual hospital where she attends her regular antenatal checkups, and consulted a nurse for abortion. (She is currently 7weeks pregnant) So the nurse gave her some medication and she consumed it, after which she develops pain abdomen and starting passing blood PV. (She comes now due to unstopped blood flow and symptoms of anemia)
When we asked why she decided to abort the fetus, she said its because her first child (girl, 4 years old) is currently preparing entrance exam for pre-school. Hence she thinks its difficult to manage a pregnancy now. We stared at each other for around 10min trying to understand what stupid mentality is this.
The question arises here, does she have the right to do so?
Her husband is also an educated person and SE status of the family is high (Indian standard). Definitely they can afford to have another kid but the thing is they chose to abort. We cant categorize this under "failure of contraceptions" as an indication for MTP (medical termination of pregnancy) because from the history, she says that her copper-T expired and she got it removed, after which immediately she got pregnant. Meaning no contraception was adopted during intercourse. She then said that she wants a planned pregnancy after 5 months. Which means, if she gets pregnant coincidently within these few months, she will go after the same method of termination.
Hypothesis:
1. She really meant her reason.
2. One girl is enough for the couple.
3. They came to know that this fetus is a baby girl.
Coming from a religious background (my lecturer says that is a hotspot for illegal abortion) and with all the information we have in hand, this is most likely to be the cause.
Female foeticide is a very rampant thing in India. Even though the doctors are told to seal their mouths about the sex of foetus, still a lot of doctors and paraclinical staffs are going after this. For money honestly. Some parents will pay alot to the doctor just to know the sex.
Foetal sex determination and sex selective abortion by medical professionals has today grown into a Rs. 1,000 crore industry (US$ 244 million).
They use names of the God or Goddess to inform the parents, for eg God of XXX has sent you a baby. Getting known that the baby is sent by a Goddess is a very sad thing for the family it seems.
Or they will simply draw G letter on the top of scan representing girl.
So, do the parents have the right to stop a fetus heart from beating? Seeing a cardiac movement or feeling the kicking of baby in their wombs, are still not sufficient for them to appreciate the arrival of new life. So pathetic isn't it?
A son is often preferred as an "asset" since he can earn and support the family; a daughter is a "liability" since she will be married off to another family, and so will not contribute financially to her parents. Often, when the mothers disobey the husband’s family decision to abort the female fetus and report it to the authorities, the suits are ignored or given a light sentence and the pointed finger targets the mother for bearing girls and disobeying the family’s decision to abort the child. She may even lose her job, exposed to constant death threats, and be left with unresolved cases. In addition, others who give birth to girls are prone to violence and even if she is able to give birth to the baby girls, the family is likely to not report the birth and even murder them.
{Italics words are all quoted from wikipedia}
A very questionable issue right? Some couples tried for years to conceive, while some just kill their babies so cruelly. I personally still think that they have the right to survive forgetting their viability. Its a human's life, how can they be so particular about the gender?!
