Meaning and Causes of Female Foeticide A child in the womb of mother, untouched by any kind of hardships is perhaps at the safest place in this world but sadly even this place is not safe for millions of unborn girls. The hateful crime of female foeticide stops such girls to even take their first breath in this world. Female foeticide means aborting or eliminating the female foetus in the womb of the mother through medical means. This crime is mainly a result of a deeply ingrained patriarchal mindset where son preference leads to sex selective abortions of female foetuses. “Studies in India have indicated three factors of female deselection in India, are, economic utility, socio-cultural utility and religious functions. The factor as to economic utility is the feeling that sons are more likely to provide income to the house and support the parents in the old age. The belief that on growing up a son would provide an addition to the family by ....