Post by: Rebecca Emmanuel
Hello! My name is Becky Emmanuel, and I am a second-year law student at Regent University. One of the main reasons I decided to go to law school was to help people who cannot represent themselves and are overlooked in society. The Center for Global Justice at Regent allows me to join hands with other students who are also passionate about helping the oppressed and use the law to ensure that there is justice in various parts of the world.
Hello! My name is Becky Emmanuel, and I am a second-year law student at Regent University. One of the main reasons I decided to go to law school was to help people who cannot represent themselves and are overlooked in society. The Center for Global Justice at Regent allows me to join hands with other students who are also passionate about helping the oppressed and use the law to ensure that there is justice in various parts of the world.Last year I worked on a project with IJM Uganda on sentencing for armed crimes and this year I have the privilege of working with other Center staff members on Indian law regarding sex selective abortions. Our research has been focused on the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT Act). This Act bans ultrasounds and other machines used in determining the sex of a fetus (an unborn baby) for the purpose of sex selective abortions of baby girls specifically.
The PCPNDT Act was designed to protect baby girls who have been the main target of sex selective abortions. Couples who are pregnant go to Clinic Centers that perform ultrasounds to know what the sex of their baby will be, and if the child is a girl, they are more likely to abort the child than if it is a boy. The girl child in such a case has no voice and has not even had the opportunity to be born to have a fair chance in life.
So far, in my research of cases under the PCPNDT Act, the authorities played an active role in identifying Centers and individuals who conducted ultrasounds for the purpose of sex selective abortions. Authorities face a lot of problems with the court concerning procedures used when investigating, seizing machines, or sealing places that violate the PCPNDT Act. It’s been encouraging to read about the investigations and to know that there are people in power working to rescue the unborn girls so that they can one day have a voice.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student staff member. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.