India: Doctor jailed for performing sex tests on foetuses

An Indian court has sentenced a doctor to two years in prison for using ultrasound tests to determine the sex of foetuses – information the mothers could use to abort baby girls, an official said today.

Anil Sabsani, a radiologist who officials say told an undercover investigator she was carrying a female foetus but that her pregnancy could be “taken care of,” is reportedly the first doctor convicted under a law designed to prevent gender-selective abortions – a widespread problem in India, where many regard daughters as a liability.