Up to nine female fetuses found in western India

2011-06-11 12:27:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

PARLI, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least two and as many as nine female fetuses were discovered in a drain in western India on Saturday, local media reported, attributing the deaths to female infanticide.

CNN-IBN reported that the full-grown fetuses were found in a drain in Parli, a city in the Beed district of Maharashtra state. Footage aired by the channel showed blurred out footage of at least one of the fetuses.

The television channel said police insisted that only two fetuses were recovered from the area, but residents claimed to have personally seen at least nine fetuses before police arrived. They said several dogs were seen eating the fetuses.

It is unclear how long the fetuses had been at the location, and who had left them there. But the case comes among reports that female infanticide is on the rise in India, and the Beed district in particular.

Female infanticide is most common in parts of China, Korea, Taiwan, and India where cultural norms value male children over female children. Another reason in some cultures is the dowry, the money or goods a woman has to give to the man's family upon marriage. This is often seen as a burden for especially poor people.

The sex ratio of Beed district in Maharshtra is 801 girls per 1,000 boys, making it the state's lowest. CNN-IBN said Maharshtra state has an average of 883 girls per 1,000 boys.

In November 2010, more than 2,000 dead fetuses were found in plastic bags inside the morgue of the Buddhist temple Wat Phai Ngern in Bangkok. The deaths were not related to female infanticide, but were the result of illegal abortions carried out by abortion clinics.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-11

Now, this is interesting.............