It is murder

An abortion is a murder of a helpless life (“It's murder, pure and simple,” Open Page, June 12). The destruction of a life, even in the womb, has no moral sanction. Although sex-determination tests are illegal, the fact that they are still conducted points to the inefficiency of the executive.

A. Haridasan Brahmakulam,

Guruvayur

The fact that instances of female foeticide are more among the “educated” class raises disturbing questions about our values. The inability of the education system in doing away with the marked preference for a male child is sad. The inability of the poor to pay for expensive sex-determination tests is perhaps the only reason that hinders the high rate of female foeticide among the poor.

Swapnil Gupta,

Hyderabad