“Instead of teaching me how to fly, you
clipped my wings, left me to die.”
Public
memory has a very short life-span. True to the last alphabet. A few weeks back,
the country was taken by a storm. A popular actor shedding tears on screen brought
us to the edge of our chair. It made us think, it made us weep, we swore to
work for mankind…the country grieved for her daughters. But where is that
passion now? Lost to oblivion…
And this is exactly the problem with our
people. They hear but do not listen, they think but do not act, they feel but
are too busy to take initiative. Meanwhile, social evils like female foeticide
can take whatever route they want.
This attitude
often spells doom for expecting mothers. The effects of a child’s wanton murder
are far-reaching…some of them so apparently unrelated that we fail to see the
connection.
Medical
Effects:
Human
body is a very fragile system and when it suffers through an abortion, the
effects are severe. Repeated abortions can actually interfere with a woman’s
ability to bear children. It leads to problems in conceiving a child again. It also
increases the probability of a natural abortion.
It is
often seen that women, who have undergone several abortions, often develop
complications during their pregnancy. These might range from getting diabetes
to a high blood pressure. These may make termination of pregnancy unavoidable.
The medicines
used may sometimes cause hormonal disorders. These disorders often make it
nearly impossible for the woman to conceive again. Even if she does, her body
does not support it. Also the probability of still-births increases multi-fold.
These are
just the physical effects. Each time a child is aborted, the mother suffers
from severe stress and trauma. The shock of losing a child cripples her
psychologically. In severe cases, she may lapse into depression and withdraw
from the society in general.
Sometimes
extra-mural delivery of the foetus can occur in the interval between
administration of feticide and initiation of a medical or surgical abortion.
Although signs of life are avoided this is distressing and, in the case of a
planned procedure, not the desired outcome.
Potential
complications include injection site pain, amnionitis, or sepsis. Digoxin is
associated with vomiting as a common side effect. Case reports of maternal
cardiac arrest have also been reported following potassium chloride injection.
The effects
do not end at the hospital.
Social
effects:
In India,
the minority is usually oppressed, suppressed and depressed. The story of
women, the minority here, is no different. Life for girls is a never ending
battle.
The falling
number of girls (consequently women) has resulted in an increased number of
crimes against women. Stories of sexual harassment, molestation and rape have
become common. Incidents of eve-teasing are common place.
Women are
given a low status in society, their role often limited to the kitchen and the
bed. Mind you, there can be a thousand exceptions to this statement but it is
the general story. Their own family members torture them no end. Domestic violence
and abuse has seen a significant rise. The number of reported cases is,
however, much less than the actual number.
Till a
few years back, thinkers would think about the fate of man when there will be
no women left to marry. I’d often thought that it would increase the value of
females in the eyes of society somehow…like we realize the worth of things only
when we lose them. But no, it just resulted in a worse situation for women.
Young
girls from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and UP are bought at cheap prices for
the prospective grooms. Their family is paid money anywhere between INR 10,000-15,000
(The average cost of a cow is 1000 times the milk she gives per day, which is
around 25 liters, making the cost around INR 25,000. That is more expensive
than a girl.). These women get none of the honour, love or comforts they
deserve after marriage. They are often treated like filth.
Like I said…sometimes
the connection is such, we fail to perceive it.
What are
the solutions? Is there a way out of it? Can we do anything at all to curb this
menace?
One of
my teachers suggested a policy of fines and rewards when I asked him the same
questions. In his world, we should fine the culprits and reward the informers. But
is it really possible for such a function to exist without problems? Can it be
enforced?
The existing
laws need to be strengthened. The clause in the constitution which allows
abortion of a frequency for medical reasons should be amended suitably, the penalties
be made unbending and unforgiving.
Women
should be educated about their rights and those of their daughters. Families need
to be sensitized to this issue. The mass media can play a major role here. A village
man may not know his consonants from the vowels…but there will definitely be a
radio, a television somewhere in his vicinity.
Young people
can volunteer to spread the message far and wide. Talks and seminars can be organized
to generate awareness. The government should come forth with more schemes like
the ‘ladli yojana’.
The change,
when it comes, has to come from within. Our eternal hope, our unending prayers and
our unshakeable faith will, one day, let her be born…J
P.S. My
sister gave birth to a lovely daughter on the 29th day of May, 2012…her
smiling face is my ray of hope…J
