Girl babies remain generally undesirable in some cultures, particularly given the expense that a family may later have to pay for her dowry, that some families opt to abort female babies. It is not a new trend and certainly some governmental groups have tried to prevent this from happening from placing restrictions on the use of ultrasound technology, which would reveal the sex of a fetus (and thus facilitate parents’ "selective abortion" if the fetus is female). This article describes a new governmental program in India that offers cash incentives for female babies and even more cash if the girl reaches age 18 – the latter incentive, I assume, so people won’t start killing babies but will actually let them live through to adulthood. Yikes.
About Dr. Debby Herbenick
Dr. Debby Herbenick is a sex researcher at Indiana University, sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute, columnist, and author of five books about sex and love. Learn more about her work at www.sexualhealth.indiana.edu.