THE NATION RAJIV MADE:

India still fighting to ‘save the girl child’ (Amelia Gentleman, 4/15/05, International Herald Tribune)

New government figures show that this expensive area of Delhi - one of the most elite, prosperous areas of the Indian capital - has a growing aversion to girls. The sex ratio at birth has dropped to 762 girls for every 1,000 boys, according to a study of births registered in South Delhi in 2004 that was conducted by the Center for Social Research. It is the lowest such ratio in the capital and one of the lowest in the entire country.

Over the past 15 years, as cheap ultrasound equipment has become readily available, the number of people deciding to abort female fetuses has soared, and despite government attempts to ban the practice, the number of girls being born has plummeted.