Sex selection by abortion?

A Canadian study suggests female foeticide is occurring among Indian immigrants in the country.

A recent study is sparking debate on whether Indian immigrants in Canada are practicing sex selection by abortion. The study found that Canadian women born in India who have two births or more were more likely to have male infants than those born in Canada.

In this episode of The Stream, we talk to Prabhat Jha of the Centre for Global Health Research; Rajendra Kale, former Editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal; and Deepa Mattoo, a lawyer for the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario.

What do you think? How conclusive is this study? Should doctors be allowed to withhold gender information from parents? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream.

View the story "Sex selection by abortion?" on StorifySex selection by abortion?A Canadian study suggests female foeticide is occurring among Indian immigrants in the country.Storified by The Stream · Mon, May 14 2012 13:26:55The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) study found Canadian couples born in India may be more likely than Canadian-born couples to terminate a second pregnancy if the fetus is female. While some medical professionals are calling for a move to ban giving ultrasound gender information until after 30-weeks of pregnancy, others are saying this study does not present enough conclusive evidence to support the possibility of female feticide. hospital nurseryAJstreamThe study sampled a population-base of 766 688 live births between 2002 and 2007, using records provided by Ontario Vital Statistics.

The table below shows the breakdown of male to female ratios for live births, separated by the mother's country of origin.
Picture 6AJstreamHere's a depiction of the male to female ratio:Picture 2AJstreamIn an exclusive interview with The Stream, Dr. Joel Ray, who led the study describes the findings:Web Interview with Joel RayajstreamLast week, thousands of abortion opponents rallied in Ottawa calling for an end to legalized abortions.
That is one big March For Life rallydavidakinActivists gathered in front of the parliament building, calling for government officials to criminalize abortion. As of 1988, abortion practices are unrestricted in Canada and legal through all nine months of pregnancy up until the point of birth. rally2AJstreamIn this video, protestors march down the streets of Ottawa to protest abortion. Pro Life March Ottawa 2012videomanottawaA citizen captured footage of activists gathered on the steps of the parliament building. Pro Life March Ottawa 2012videomanottawaIn an editorial for the CMAJ, Dr. Rajendra Kale says there is a high abortion rate among Indian women who were pregnant with a female. He suggest that heath care providers postpone telling the mother the sex of the child until after 30-weeks of gestation in order to decrease the rate of female feticide. “It's a girl!” — could be a death sentence - Canadian Medical ...Jan 16, 2012 ... “It's a girl!” — could be a death sentence. Rajendra Kale, MD, Editor-in-Chief ( Interim). Correspondence to: CMAJ ...Professor Prabhat Jha is the founding director for the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. He believes that it is important not to exaggerate the problem and that further research is need for more accurate conclusions.pjha_imageAJstreamThis is Jha's response to the Sex Ratio study published in the CMAJ:"For accurate public reporting, it is important not to overstate the problem. IF (and that remains a big IF) selective abortion is happening in Ontario, then the numbers from the Joel Ray study would suggest it's less than 35 a year or less than 1% of all births among Indian-born mothers. According to Canadian law, the practice of withholding this information to expectant mothers can be considered "professional misconduct." The Canadian Supreme Court says that all patients have a right to access all the information in their records.
pic1AJstreamPhoto Courtesy: Samantha ChiusoloultrasoundAJstreamThis map shows clinics (marked in red) that withhold gender information from high risk families until 30 weeks of pregnancy has passed and clinics (marked in green) that do share gender information with all patients. Prior to the CMAJ study, six Canadian hospitals already had decided to not disclose the sex of the child until after 30-weeks of pregnancy. Picture 2AJstreamThis study shows a Canadian opinion poll on gender-based abortions:Picture 3AJstreamAn Indian girl paints her face to raise awareness to the issue of female feticide.

Photo Courtesy: Reuters

Picture 4AJstreamThis is what the fetus looks like at 30-weeks gestation. It weighs about three pounds and its eyesight starts to develop.fetusAJstreamThe Indo-Canadian Voice, a British Columbia newspaper, ran this ad promiting the ability to choose the sex of a child through in vitro fertilization. The controversial ad was later pulled. genderselectionAJstreamThe worldwide campaign, 50 Million Missing, was launched this past year to raise awareness for the millions of Indian girls who have been aborted due to a preference for male children. Picture 5AJstreamThis photo of an Indian woman and a little girl is taken from the 50 Million Missing website. Picture 6AJstream

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Sex selection by abortion?

Sex selection by abortion?

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