KHADIJA KHAN: The lanyard-wearers dread being called racist. That’s why they turn a blind eye to sex-selective abortion

Aborting a baby because of its gender is a disgusting practice that would turn any mother away; But let’s not deceive ourselves into thinking that the women who do this are making choices of their own free will.

The expectations and judgments of their families and wider society weigh heavily on them, and they may even live in fear of their husbands divorcing them or worse. Therefore, it is hard to believe that any official institution would want to facilitate such a corrosive tradition.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service’s culpability is black and white. On her website, she says ‘the law is silent’ on sex-selective abortion, shedding light on vulnerable women seeking services.

Let me be clear, this is not legal. It shouldn’t be. This has no place in modern society, and this applies to everyone, no matter what traditions they follow.

As Ministry of Health figures reveal, sex-selective abortions are most common among communities originating from the Indian subcontinent.

There, traditional society rewards boys more than girls. Boys can work in better-paying jobs and thus increase the influence and power of the family.

Girls, on the other hand, are a social ticking time bomb; A girl who does not behave as required by patriarchal restrictions may bring shame to her parents, who will face paying a hefty dowry if she marries him.

So if a family already has two daughters, a third in the womb might seem like a lot.

In Pakistan, where I grew up, my mother was anxious during her third pregnancy because she knew that her self and her worth depended on the gender of the baby; Me and my sister were already there.

When she finally gave birth to a son, my grandmother proudly exclaimed: ‘My daughter is finally a part of society.’

It was shocking to realize how women could be dehumanized, their identities reduced to mere reproductive functions.

But that was a generation ago. Gender-selective abortions should remain a thing of the past, but they are strangely tolerated by officials. From where?

Because the subjugated class of medics, social workers and aid workers fear that they will be accused of racism if they ask too many probing questions of anyone from a different culture.

We saw the same moral cowardice in those who ignored the pleas of young white girls at the mercy of Asian rape gangs.

This scandal was a painful reminder that we must protect Western values ​​at all costs.