India’s health ministers urged government officials to take a pledge against sex selection and violence against women. Government representatives supported the idea, saying that sex selective abortion of female fetuses is to blame for the nation’s declining child sex ratio.
In 2001 India had a sex ratio of 927 baby girls to 1000 baby boys. But the ratio has fallen over the last decade as data from 2011 show 914 baby girls are being born for every 1000 males. The pledge is an initiative of the Ministry in the direction of eliminating gender-biased sex selection and violence against women in all forms.
The Minister further stated that 9th August, a day commemorated in the history of India as Quit India Movement, has been selected to symbolize the collective resolve of the Public Servants of India to end sex selective abortion to ‘Quit India.’
Health officials have also asked hospitals, health care providers and infertility clinic services to take the pledge along with them. All States and Union Territories and all Ministries and Departments of the Government of India are being asked to take this pledge by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
