ZARANJ (Pajhwok): A number of expectant mothers in southwestern Nimroz province say they have aborted female fetuses after having ultrasound scans to protect themselves from violence at home.
Some gynecologists in the province also confirmed that pregnant women decided to undergo sex-selective abortions after having ultrasound scans.
Mothers forced to kill female fetus
Hameeda, 35, resident of Zaranj City, the capital of Nimroz province who gave birth to five daughters one after another, was subject to violence by her in-laws. She told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Every time girl was born, there was anger in our house, my husband and mother-in-law even beat me and did not give me proper food.”
Hameeda claimed in her 6th child birth she was warned to be divorced by her husband and therefore she decided to abort the fetus knowing that it was murder but in order to prevent divorce she had no option but to kill the fetus.
She said: “I was five months pregnant and conducted sonography and came to know that it is daughter, I was very scared, I took the prescription of one of our neighbor’s women who was previously given by a doctor for abortion, and bought medicines from the pharmacy, and by taking medicines I removed my daughter”.
Suraya, another resident of Zaranj and the mother of three daughters, aborted her four months old fetus in order to protect her life and thwart here husband’s attempt to get second wife.
She worked as a teacher at one of Zaranj schools, said: “My husband and in-laws do not like girl child, every time I gave birth to a girl child, I heard harsh words and humiliation such as daughter is the property of others.”
She said her 4th pregnancy was proved after four and a half months that it is girl and due to the warning she received from her husband against giving birth to daughter she was force undergo abortion which has consequences for a mother.
She added: “Through the studies I had on the internet and also our neighbor who practiced Greek medicine, I searched about it, I bought medicines from the market, boiled it and ate it, I noticed some pain and two days later my child was miscarried.”
“I am a mother, six months have passed since that incident, but my heart hurts immensely, I could feel the presence of the child and his movements, but unfortunately my husband had warned me.”
Humiliation and divorce
Aziza Rahmati, the resident of Zaranj City, who had been divorced due to giving birth to three daughters and now has this big responsibility to raise them, said: “After the birth of daughter, my husband sent me to my father’s house and even did not give me money for expenses, he used to tell me go away with your daughter, why did you again give birth to the daughter.”
She was given divorce after the birth of her 4th daughter and currently lived in her father’s house.
She said: “Their father should provide their living cost but he did not, I have no option but to work.”
Mothers have no role in gender determination: Physicians
Dr. Yalda Fayaz Wasiq, a gynecologist in Nimroz, told Pajhwok Afghan News that in this province like any other province mothers are still subject to violence and humiliation over the birth of daughter.
She added: “Every year, hundreds of mothers, whose number is not exactly determined, are victims in various ways due to the birth of a girl, while has nothing to be blame for and a woman never has a role in determining the gender.”
She added: “During the last two months, I have witnessed 15 cases of attempted abortions, in which the mothers, due to the determination of the gender of the fetus being female and due to the fear of giving birth to a girl, who will make their family angry, have taken drugs on their own, so that the fetus is aborted.
She asked ulema to perform their responsibility in this regard and encourage people to stop discrimination between boy and girl.
Dr. Jewan Rahmati, a gynecologist in the Khatamun Nabieen Hospital in Zaranj, said: “I have come across a lot of mothers who have been victims of gender discrimination after giving birth to daughter, and even in some cases it has been terrifying and disturbing.”
Dr. Rahmati said: “One day a lady came, she had a problem, I did an ultrasound, she asked what her gender was, I said girl, the lady felt weak, her husband came and made noise and said that my lady gave birth to 7 girls, this is the eighth girl, it was obvious that the lady was severely under pressure by her husband and his family were under pressure.”
She appealed to husbands and said: “Women should not be tortured for giving birth to a daughter, because the determination of gender is in the hands of Allah (SWAT), and from the point of view of medicine, the man plays an essential role in this process, and the woman has no role, the female chromosome is helpful instead.”
Islam gives special importance to girls: Ulema
Hafiz Mohammad Rahman Rahmanti, one of the religious scholars in Nimroz said: “Regarding the discrimination between the birth of a girl and a boy the Islamic teachings have always been preached to the people in Friday sermons so that people know that Islam has given a special place to girls, but the level of awareness of the people is low for this reason mothers are victims of this discrimination.”
He said that Allah (SWTA) in Quran said: “The ownership and order of the heavens and the earth is only in the control of Allah (SWTA), Allah creates whatever Allah wants, Allah gives a daughter to whom Allah wants, Allah gives a son to whomever Allah wants, or Allah gives them both sons and daughters, and Allah makes whomever He wants barren, Indeed, Allah is all-knowing and all-powerful”
Rahmati said one day the prophet (PBUH) was question, daughter is better or son, the prophet (PBUH) answered: “Both are good, but the girl is Rehana, daughter is a leaf from the leaves of the flowers of paradise, Allah has created two beautiful blessings for a joint life, a girl and a boy both beautify life together, and having a child is one of the great blessings of Allah.”
Noorullah Kawsar, another religious scholar, told Pajhwok Afghan News, someone is disappointed over the birth of daughter; it is ignorance, an anti-Islamic act and enmity with Allah (SWTA).
He said it is stated in Hadith that if daughter is born in a house Allah (SWT) sends two blessing and if son is born in a house Allah (SWT) sends one blessing.
He clarified there is no discrimination in Islam between son or a daughter and in some cases daughter is given higher degree.
He said it was government, ulema and media responsibility to spread awareness among people that the birth of daughter or son both is considered as the blessing of Allah (SWTA)
Kawsar said people should be told that have daughter is not a defect, it was before Islam during the time of ignorance when people buried their daughters alive because they hate daughters and considered them a shame.
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