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Sex-selective abortions and IVF on the rise in United Kingdom
Government reports from the United Kingdom (UK) suggest that there is a rising gender imbalance among Indian parents due to abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Multiple reports covering separate time periods found an excessive number of boys born to Indian parents in the UK.
Demographers warn it may be due to sex-selective abortion or IVF.
Baby girls are reportedly being abandoned at maternity wards as well.
The Times reported that multiple government reports have raised alarms about gender imbalance among Indians living in the UK. It is also believed that this imbalance is due to sex-selective abortions, or IVF.
Two reports, covering 2018 to 2022 and 2019 to 2023, found higher numbers of boys born among third-or-later births to families with Indian ethnicity. Three more reports found the same pattern, including mothers born in India who immigrated to the UK.
There have typically been roughly 105 boys born per 100 girls in the UK for decades; for Indian families, the ratio fits this pattern in first and second births. In third or later, an imbalance appears, with 113 boys born per 100 girls. For mothers born in India, the imbalance grew ever higher, with 117 boys born per 100 girls.
The rate of 117 boys was “surprisingly high,” according to Sabu Padmadas, a professor of demography and global health.
“In cultures where son preference is found, sex-selective pressures are generally stronger for third or higher births," Josh Wilde, a demographer at the University of Oxford, said, and added that it suggests the possibility of sex-selective abortion.
Rani Bilkhu is the founder of Jeena international, a human rights charity that especially focuses on ethnic minorities. The organization has helped women who have faced abuse and coercion to give birth to boys.
“Only a son will give her value, and make her feel she has done something worthwhile. This is the real reason," she said, adding that it is still “embedded in the psyches of even highly-educated Indian women born and raised in Britain."
This has led to the abandonment of baby girls.
“I know women who have left their baby girls in the maternity ward. This is happening in the UK, not in some remote Indian village," she said, adding that she was asked firsthand, “Why have you allowed yourself to have another girl? Why couldn’t you just go and find out?”
She added, “Women grounded within our community know what is going on. This is gender violence before a girl is even born.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said sex-selective abortion is not legal in the UK, but it seemingly is still happening.
Around the world, sex-selective abortion continues to be a problem, even in India, where although it is now illegal, it persists. Without the existence of sex-determining ultrasounds, it is believed that there would be approximately 63 million more women and girls born in India between the 1970s and today.
But the problem is not limited to India alone; imbalanced sex ratios are present in other countries as well, particularly Asian countries like China and Nepal. It is so pervasive that the United Nations (UN) has estimated that 142 million girls are missing globally due to a cultural preference for male children.
As seen in these reports, it is not just occurring in Asian countries, but throughout the world. This is not the first time the issue has been raised in the UK, and a Live Action investigation found that it occurs in the United States as well.
No human being should be targeted for extermination simply because they are seen as the "wrong" sex.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Sex-selective abortions and IVF on the rise in United Kingdom
Government reports from the United Kingdom (UK) suggest that there is a rising gender imbalance among Indian parents due to abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Multiple reports covering separate time periods found an excessive number of boys born to Indian parents in the UK.
Demographers warn it may be due to sex-selective abortion or IVF.
Baby girls are reportedly being abandoned at maternity wards as well.
The Times reported that multiple government reports have raised alarms about gender imbalance among Indians living in the UK. It is also believed that this imbalance is due to sex-selective abortions, or IVF.
Two reports, covering 2018 to 2022 and 2019 to 2023, found higher numbers of boys born among third-or-later births to families with Indian ethnicity. Three more reports found the same pattern, including mothers born in India who immigrated to the UK.
There have typically been roughly 105 boys born per 100 girls in the UK for decades; for Indian families, the ratio fits this pattern in first and second births. In third or later, an imbalance appears, with 113 boys born per 100 girls. For mothers born in India, the imbalance grew ever higher, with 117 boys born per 100 girls.
The rate of 117 boys was “surprisingly high,” according to Sabu Padmadas, a professor of demography and global health.
“In cultures where son preference is found, sex-selective pressures are generally stronger for third or higher births," Josh Wilde, a demographer at the University of Oxford, said, and added that it suggests the possibility of sex-selective abortion.
Rani Bilkhu is the founder of Jeena international, a human rights charity that especially focuses on ethnic minorities. The organization has helped women who have faced abuse and coercion to give birth to boys.
“Only a son will give her value, and make her feel she has done something worthwhile. This is the real reason," she said, adding that it is still “embedded in the psyches of even highly-educated Indian women born and raised in Britain."
This has led to the abandonment of baby girls.
“I know women who have left their baby girls in the maternity ward. This is happening in the UK, not in some remote Indian village," she said, adding that she was asked firsthand, “Why have you allowed yourself to have another girl? Why couldn’t you just go and find out?”
She added, “Women grounded within our community know what is going on. This is gender violence before a girl is even born.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said sex-selective abortion is not legal in the UK, but it seemingly is still happening.
Around the world, sex-selective abortion continues to be a problem, even in India, where although it is now illegal, it persists. Without the existence of sex-determining ultrasounds, it is believed that there would be approximately 63 million more women and girls born in India between the 1970s and today.
But the problem is not limited to India alone; imbalanced sex ratios are present in other countries as well, particularly Asian countries like China and Nepal. It is so pervasive that the United Nations (UN) has estimated that 142 million girls are missing globally due to a cultural preference for male children.
As seen in these reports, it is not just occurring in Asian countries, but throughout the world. This is not the first time the issue has been raised in the UK, and a Live Action investigation found that it occurs in the United States as well.
No human being should be targeted for extermination simply because they are seen as the "wrong" sex.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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