India bans female feticide

Selective abortions of female fetuses will no longer be legal in India following the passing of a new bill in both houses of parliament. Under the new bill - the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Bill - doctors who offer to identify the sex of a fetus will be struck off the medical register and will face three years in prison and a fine of 10000 rupees (200). Pregnant women who undergo tests to detect the sex of their fetus will be subject to the same fine and prison term.

The bill is in response to the problem of selective …