Killers' of the womb: A son obsession

A KAUST study estimates that up to 6.8 million fewer female births could be recorded across India by 2030 due to continued sex-selective abortions.

In Telangana, a 26-year-old pregnant woman and her two daughters were found dead in a swimming pool at a private layout. The husband claimed accidental drowning, but police and family alleged the motive was pressure over a third pregnancy and suspicion that the unborn child was female, with earlier abortions allegedly forced after gender suspicion.

Data show the sex ratio at birth slowly improving in Haryana and Punjab due to stricter PCPNDT Act enforcement, more ultrasound inspections, and awareness campaigns, though improvements are uneven and coercion and illegal abortions continue to surface.

Enforcement agencies have uncovered a pattern of illegal sex determination networks operating through clinics and intermediaries in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, linking pregnancies to illegal testing and termination with payments routed via intermediaries.

Dr Aruna Kalra, a gynaecologist who has delivered over 50,000 babies, said women are often compelled to undergo repeated scans or abortions until a male child is conceived and described patients’ desperation for a son, sometimes even after having multiple daughters.

In 2025, Haryana reported 1,153 late abortions in three months, reflecting ongoing sex-selective practices despite bans under the PCPNDT Act.

A woman in Kanpur accused her husband and in-laws of illegal prenatal sex determination, female foeticide, and repeated forced abortions after her 2021 marriage. She claimed that when she refused demands to bring money from her parental home to start a business and buy a car, she was repeatedly assaulted, sustaining serious spinal injuries.