Sex Determination and Sex Pre-Selection Tests in India

Asian countries are undergoing a demographic transition resulting from a combination of low death and birth rates in their populations. This could be partly due to the vigorous promotion of small families by governments in South Asia and Southeast Asia. India adopted the two-child policy in 2004 while China, since 1978, has strictly implemented the “one child per family” policy.Historically, most Asian countries have had a strong preference for sons. This essay examines the gender, sociocultural and demographic implications of the deficit of women and the role of new reproductive technologies, with a focus on sex determination (SD) and sex pre-selection technologies (SP).Sex Ratios — A Global Scenario Sex ratios in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Central Asia, and even the poorest of regions — sub Saharan Africa — are favourable to women. In the South and Southeast Asia, the sex ratios are lower for women as Table 1 reveals.The historical legacy of the preference for sons and neglect of daughters in Southeast Asia has taken a dangerous turn where scientific technologies for SD such as amniocentesis, chorion-villi-biopsy, foetoscopy, and sonography are being misused for the selective abortion of female foetuses