title: Impact of prenatal technologies on the sex ratio in India: an overview.
abstract: The fact that techniques of prenatal diagnosis are used in India and China to selectively eliminate females is widely known. It has been extensively reported in the international media and in scientific publications since the 1990s. The publication of the Census of India 2011 shows that the ratio of girls to boys below the age of 6 years continues to decline at an alarming rate. Following that publication, this topic has again received international attention. The aim of this article is to better inform the human genetics community of the magnitude of this practice and its consequences in India.In this overview, we examine the impact of prenatal technology on the sex ratio in India. We present facts and figures from the Census of India and other publications that show that the practice is wide spread throughout India, in urban and rural areas, among the rich and the poor, and among the educated and the illiterate. We also briefly discuss the possible causes, consequences, and solutions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kamlesh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Madan
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Breuning
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007237:Infanticide / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012744:Sex Ratio; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population