Straight to the topic: Can you imagine that ultrasound scans are not always used as intended to monitor an unborn baby and the future mother's health but, on the contrary, to issue the baby a death sentence? I could not -- until I learned about a shocking story where medical achievements are taken out of their context for the sake of just one reason: suggesting to future parents that if they're expecting a baby girl, it is better to go for an abortion.Yes, you read that correctly, and I hope you will appreciate that this column is written about a subject from seemingly far away, but nevertheless of utmost concern to all readers, parents or not, as we all share this planet together.
“101 East,” a regular and very informative 30-minute-long program broadcasted on Thursday by Al-Jazeera, went to India to shed light on a not-so-modern facet of this aspiring economic giant. The reporters investigated the death of millions of both unborn babies and infants not because of malnutrition but simply because they were girls! It was explained that in Indian society a boy means more to the parents. A mother herself quite openly explained that girls need more money when they are 15 or 16, that they need more clothes and that the parents must save money for the dowry. If girls do not marry, they basically have to stay with their parents as Indian society does not allow them to lead a “single” life away from home.
An otherwise very important medical checkup is part of the problem: the ultrasound scan. Although the Indian government has made using ultrasound scans only for the purpose of establishing the gender of the future baby a punishable offense, business booms. Immoral businesspeople offering ultrasound scans from back offices paired with the society's belief in the supremacy of the male over the female sex apparently makes it difficult for the legal system to punish perpetrators.
I am certain our readers will have their own feelings about this subject, ranging from surprise to outright condemnation. What is important, though, is that news like this does not go unnoticed or become a story in “yesterday's events” folder. The question is of course whether the international community can do anything to help educate young Indian parents and in particular those who live away from its urban areas. The easiest way would be to convince men afraid of baby girls that unless they clone their own male offspring, there will be no more baby boys either! Neither preserving the nation nor the male sex works out when there is only one gender left. Let us hope for the best and that Indian society will mature more and soon eradicate this illogical and inhumane practice. By the way, I am not saying that this practice only occurs in India; much more research is needed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
One light at the end of the tunnel is the “Save a Girl Child” campaign. It was featured on the “101 East” program. Its Web site is filled with alarming data, yet full of hope, too. Visit www.savegirlchild.org. Indian men have begun to speak up, including leading medical experts. What is required now is a clear word from the authorities.
Back in Turkey, where health services are already at a high standard -- though not so in every part of the country -- much needs to be done on the issue of using an ultrasound scan, but this has a totally different dimension. From what I have witnessed, it is overused but luckily only for the correct purposes. Whereas in the United Kingdom most expecting parents would opt for just one or two sessions involving a scan, in Turkey often five if not more such sessions are scheduled per pregnancy with a doctor or hospital. As a parent myself, I would say it is not appropriate to expose both the mother and the baby to too much radiation so a prudent and limited approach toward scheduling your next doctor's appointment makes sense. The point I want to make is the following: Although malpractice may occur in one or perhaps more countries, it would be wrong to turn back the clock and discard the advances in ultrasound technology altogether. It is an achievement, not a curse!
Whether fasting or not, experiencing the holy month of Ramadan from Turkey allows us to reflect upon many things and perhaps spend some extra time with neighbors or relatives who live far away. We should ponder about the general state of relations between men and women, too, and that our world is supposed to be made up of two equal genders, which is a fact that in most public spheres and many corners of private life is not yet a reality.
