UK sex-selective abortion: concerns raised over ‘hundreds of missing baby girls’

Indian parents in Britain may be aborting babies because they are girls, a new study suggests.

Analysis by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has found a “statistically significant imbalance” in the ratio of boys and girls born to Indian parents in Britain, which its researchers believe points to a culture of sex-selective abortions.

Preferred sex is not an acceptable ground for abortion under the law but MPs voted against an explicit ban when passing the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently progressing through the House of Lords.

Not tolerated

If the report’s conclusions are correct, it estimates that approximately 400 baby girls may have been sex-selectively aborted “over the five-year period from 2017 to 2021”.

“Sex is not a lawful ground for termination of pregnancy… Anyone with evidence that this illegal practice is occurring must report it to the police immediately”

A spokesman from the DHSC stated: “This Government’s position is unequivocal: sex-selective abortion is illegal in England and Wales and will not be tolerated.

“Sex is not a lawful ground for termination of pregnancy, and it is a criminal offence for any practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone.”

He explained: “Anyone with evidence that this illegal practice is occurring must report it to the police immediately. We continue to work closely with providers to ensure that abortions are only performed in accordance with the strict legal grounds set out in the Abortion Act.”

Disturbing problem

Baroness Eaton, who is seeking to amend the Crime and Policing Bill to explicitly outlaw sex-selective abortion, said: “The Government’s own data suggests that there are hundreds of missing baby girls as a result of sex-selective abortion taking place right here in the UK”.

She warned that this “disturbing problem could get much worse if the abortion clause in the Crime and Policing Bill becomes law”, explaining that the amendment to decriminalise women who have abortions at any stage of pregnancy could increase the possibility of women performing their own sex-selective abortions at home.