Rajam Krishnan, Associate Professor
Primary Care Medicine
University Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur
Dear Professor Krishnan:
BBC news has run several stories around the issue of female infanticide in India. You are mentioned as being one of the first people to write about this subject and bring it to the world’s attention.
I think that in many Americans’ minds, there is an awareness that in many places, particularly in Asian countries, female children are unwanted and frequently abandoned. We generally do not explore the issue beyond recognizing that many Americans adopt girls from orphanages overseas. Also, we are woefully unable to properly address our own problems with the subjects of abortion and women’s issues.
I find it horrifying that fetuses are aborted simply for being female, and that newborns are killed for the same reason. My initial reaction is to wonder what sort of monster could kill her own child. After reading more about the circumstances of these mothers’ lives, I see that the situation is much more complex than I would have imagined, with pressure from family and society, and consequences if they do not “obey.”
Thank you for the work you do to improve women’s and girls’ lives in India.
Truly,
Liz Mann
