Fetal sex-determination in Delhi: a population-based investigation.
A population-based cross-sectional inquiry was carried out in Delhi to assess the practice of fetal sex determination, sex-selective abortions and awareness about the related law. A total of 1514 respondents, selected through multistage cluster sampling from all across Delhi, were interviewed using a pretested, semistructured questionnaire. Legal awareness (73.6%) was significantly better among the male and urban respondents. Only 39 (2.6%) of the respondents had ever gone for fetal sex determination. In 17 (43.6%) of them, it was done in spite of being aware of its unlawfulness, and in 33 (84.6%), the couple had one or more living male children. Frequency of fetal sex determination was comparable for slum and urban areas. Fifty-six additional cases of fetal sex determination, occurring in the neighbourhood of the respondents, were also reported. A total of 28 cases of female feticide were reported. Awareness about the illegality of fetal sex determination has improved, compared with the 1997-1998 data collected from East Delhi (55.3-73.6%). However, this comparison also shows a marginal increase in the practice of fetal sex determination (2.1-2.6%). In all cases of feticide, a qualified doctor was involved. A number of couples abandoned the abortion plan midway, even after detecting that the fetus was female, and there were occasional cases where the doctor refused to abort the female fetus.
Chaturvedi
S
S
Department of Community Medicine, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, Delhi, India. cvsanjay@hotmail.com
Chhabra
P
P
Bharadwaj
S
S
Smanla
S
S
Kannan
A T
AT
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D012743:Sex Preselection; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data