Background Companies such as GE and Wipro have discovered huge market demand for ultrasounds in south Asia. This may seem like harmless discovery but the use of ultrasound in countries such as India and China have caused a large discrepancies in the birth rates of males and females. In these countries ultrasounds are being used in sex selective abortions. Their use has amplified the social issue of female inequality to the extent that females are being killed off before they can be born. In 1901 in India there was 972 women for every 1,000 man, fast-forward to 2001 there was an estimated 933 women for every 1,000 man (unfpa.org). As this trend continues these countries are finding themselves in a dangerous social situation, and changes need to be made quickly. In India many efforts have been made to stop the use of ultrasounds for sex selection, for example in 1994 the Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques Act was enacted in attempts to ban the activity. In some states they have government incentives in attempts to entice families to keep their daughters. Despite their efforts the sex ratio is still coming down. Many Indian government officials and activist feel that GE and Wipro should take action to stop the use of ultrasound for sex selection, as they are India’s largest supplier of ultrasound equipment. The companies feel that they are not the cause of the sex selection abortion pandemic, but instead it is deep-rooted social issues that cannot be resolved by the companies. GE has recognized the social effect the ultrasound has had on the South Asian countries and has made efforts to help with the regulated use of the product.

Problem Both India and China are enjoying rapid economic growth; much of it is due to the liberalization for their economies. Both of these countries have opened their doors to world trade and are economically advancing, but socially they are struggling to move forward. In these countries sons are viewed as wealth, while daughters have been deemed financial burdens. This mentality is a direct effect of the dowry system that is practiced in many of the South Asian countries. Although it is illegal in most of these countries, the laws are openly violated. The article “The Dowry System in Northern India: Women’s attitudes and social change,” by Srinivasan P., explains that in India the dowry system has become more widespread and the value of dowries are increasing, despite the increased participation of women in the workforce and political arena. This system literally make having a daughter a financial burden, so any many families mind, especially poor families, it is cheaper to just abort the female fetus. Abortion laws also play a large role in the plummeting sex ratio. In countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan have stricter laws on abortion, are not facing the same population crisis as India and China who both have very lax laws on abortion, as explained in the publication ‘And they kill me, only because I’m a girl,’ by Abrejo F. In India the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971, significantly liberalized abortion laws in the country. This may seem very liberating for women, giving them the ability to choose, but with the inequality women face it has become a death sentence for unborn girls. India has taken legislative action to help resolve the population crisis, but they have found the laws to be very difficult to enforce. In 1994 the Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques Act was passed. This law prohibits clinics from using ultrasounds to determine the sex of the fetus. The law also requires all clinics to registers their ultrasound, any clinics without proper paperwork will face charges. These laws would be useful if they were enforceable, but with so many unethical doctors and the reselling of ultrasound machines it is almost impossible to regulate the use. It is clear that there are deep-rooted social challenges, and shortcomings in legislation, but the suppliers of the ultrasound also play a role in the skewed sex ratio. GE and Wipro are India’s leading suppliers of ultrasound machine, and they take very little responsibility for the costly effect the machine is having on the country. The companies have not considered their corporate social responsibility, and are simply concerned with profits and market share. Although GE is not the root cause of the sex ratio, they have the power to make positive changes that will help balance the ratio. GE is also marketing the ultrasound machines specifically to countries like India and China. The Article “How GE is Distributing itself,” by Immelt J.R, reports that GE has spent 3 billion dollars to create 100 health care innovations that would lower cost, increase access, and improve quality. They refer to these advancements as “backward innovation.” The article then goes on to explain that GE has highlight two products in these innovations, one of which is the portable pc based ultrasound machine. In 2002 GE ultrasounds saw 4 million dollars in revenues, by 2008 those revenues jumped to 278 million. Despite GE’s knowledge of the social affect the ultrasound has had on countries like India, they still choose to market the product to them.

Courses of Action
Increasing the Stringency of Safeguards In order to make a distinguishable impact on the skewed sex-ratio in India, different aspects of Indian culture have to be tackled. The value of women must increase through educational practices in society such as school, and educational programs that teaches the younger generation the ethics of female feticides as well women’s role in Indian society. Things such as the “dowry” is something embedded into the Indian culture that has only seen an increase in most recent years and therefore will continue to have a strong influence on the perception of women in society, The educational programs would be a healthy alternative to the constant ways women are degraded in the Indian culture and would hopefully decrease the amount of female feticides as the generations go on.

Raise Public Awareness of Human Rights Although GE may not be the one to blame or point the finger to when trying to find the main cause behind female feticides, but they are definitely a supporting factor. The nationwide increase and availability of ultrasound machines has done worse in the Indian society by allowing them to act upon their cultural perceptions of women and by preventing cultural burden upon themselves. However, what they don’t realize is that the skewed sex-ratio is going to create larger problems in the long run as the society sees an overbalance of males compared to females and the population begins to see a significant decrease. GE must tighten up on the restrictions and regulations of their agency by helping enforce the Indian law by becoming much more strict on the paperwork and licenses of the medical firms using their ultrasound devices.

Establishing welfare programs for girls Another way for GE to have a significant impact on the very thing they are helping create, is by using some of the profits to invest in the welfare of girls in India. This could mean a number of different things such as welfare programs that put kids through school, shelters, and adoption centers that find suitable homes for girls that women did not want to keep but did not want to abort. These welfare programs could be powerful tools for GE to make a difference in what they are doing in the Indian culture by helping balance the ratio and ultimately giving women an alternative to aborting their child.

Recommendations The overall investment into the welfare of Indian girls by GE would provide the most significant change in the skewed sex-ratio and would be most recommended. The educational programs provided will create greater awareness of women’s rights as well as provide a foundation for newer generations while the welfare programs set up by GE will give non-aborted girls the chance to have a real life in India by providing them will homes, food, and education. GE can make an important contribution in the Indian culture which could possibly outweigh their influence to strengthen some of the ideas. Of course, the first step in approaching human rights challenges requires an internal look to make sure that the Company is not only obeying the rule of law, but also conducting itself in a way that is effective and culturally sensitive. GE India has can to do this through its rigorous sales process review that goes beyond basic legal requirements to avoid risks where possible and by training its employees to keep their eyes open and to know the customer. These efforts will be consistent with GE’s Company-wide integrity policies which not only require GE employees to obey the applicable laws and regulations governing the Company’s business conduct worldwide, but also to promptly report any red flags or potential issues that may lead to a regulatory compliance breach.

Conclusion With educational programs and welfare programs enacted by the company creating most of the stir, the future of India’s culture and population has a much more promising future. Over time, the skewed sex-ratio should balance out and women’s values be more recognized by the population as a whole. Also, with stricter enforcement of the regulations established by the company for obtaining one of their ultrasound devices, they will help support Indian law and create more ethical medical practices around India by ensuring the safety usages of their products. Their investment into India may be a costly one at the time but the greater reward comes later down the line when their shareholder value increases due to the fixed reputation of sales company in the medical market.