Abortion of unborn girls suspected

LONDON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Some Indian-born women living in Britain appear to be having abortions based on the sex of the fetus, preferring boys to girls, a study indicates.

The study by Oxford University says the ratio of boys to girls born to India-born mothers has increased since the 1970s, the BBC reported.

Dr. Sylvie Dubuc, who studied birth rates of ethnic groups in England and Wales, blamed it on what was described as "sex selective abortion," the report said.

She said in the 1970s, there were 103 boys born for every 100 girls, but between 2000 and 2005, the ratio jumped to 114 to 100.

One woman told the BBC she'd an abortion after a doctor in India said she would have a fourth daughter.

The report said despite being outlawed in India, aborting girls is so widespread in some regions the practice has severely distorted the male-female ratio. A law against providing scans to determine the sex of the unborn baby also is easily flouted.

There is no way to determine how many Indian women living in Britain travel to India for such abortions, but the report said there is a sizable Indian community whose members have strong family ties to India.