New Delhi, November 8
Religious leaders from various faiths are putting their heads together to campaign against sex determination tests that lead to sex selective abortions.
Their commitment to the cause was perceptible during discussions at the day long conference ‘India’s missing daughters: Faith for Action Against Sex Selection’ organised by the Art of Living Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund.
Brimming with ideas, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living said he would invite religious leaders of all faiths to ring in the new year by touring Haryana that has acquired a dubious distinction for a worrying decline in Child Sex Ratio. According to the 2001 Census, the child sex ratio in four States Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, drastically declined to less than 800 girls for every 1000 boys.
Mr Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar Akal Takht, Amritsar told TNS that the Akal Takht was keen on setting up a committee to look into cases of sex selective abortions.
“On getting such complaints, we can give religious punishment to members of our community.” Haji Syed Gulam Kibria, President Anjuman Hussain-Manzil Dargah-Sharief, Ajmer said that he is determined to work with other religious leaders to encourage people to value the girl child. “We will put the fear of God in people who contemplate sex selective abortions.”
Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati of the Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh said that they had approached the Uttranchal government to spare them 10 care land for building an ashram to bring up new born girls abandoned by their parents.
Participating in the deliberations, Swami Nikhilanand of Radakrishna Math, Baroda said that doctors who conduct sex determination tests use coded language to indicate to the would-be parents the gender of the foetus. “They utter Jai Shree Krishna in case the unborn child is male and utter ‘Jai Shree Mata, Puja Karo’ in case the unborn child is female. ‘Pooja Karo’ is a veiled
prescription for sex selective abortion.”
The Christian Medical Association of India circulated its statement of affirmation to put an end to sex selective abortions. While expressing concern at the consistent decline of child sex ration in recent past, the CMAI has urged the Church to address the issue of pre-natal sex determination by creating awareness within the communities they serve. It has also urged the medical profession to disassociate itself from all such discriminatory practices that lead to the misuse of medical technologies. It has pointed out that such medical technologies are incompatible with the Hippocratic Oath.
