Q.Differentiate foeticide and infanticide.

Foeticide is the killing of a fetus before birth, while infanticide is the killing of a child after it is born; both are illegal, gender-biased practices in India.

Foeticide, particularly female foeticide, involves determining the sex of an unborn child (commonly via ultrasound) and then aborting it specifically because it is female - a practice made illegal in India under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, which bans sex determination and sex-selective abortion. Infanticide, particularly female infanticide, is the killing of a female baby shortly after birth, again reflecting deep-rooted son preference and gender discrimination in society. Both practices arise from similar social causes (dowry burden, preference for male heirs, poverty) but differ in the timing of the act - foeticide occurs prenatally (in utero) …