Cerebus said:

[...] to my understanding, being allowed to go to school to get a degree and ESPECIALLY going overseas would be considered very tolerant. And not being married at 22 is old pretty old in Indian and Arabic cultures. Which wouldn't make you think she had a more strict, traditionalist family. Either way, definitely no excuses. The whole thing is just ugly no matter what her reasoning was/is.

Modern and traditional values are not exclusive to each other. A person can be subjected to both. There's nothing unusual about Indians going over to the UK for education either. It's something they are able to do due to historical reasons. Attending medical school in the UK is almost stereotypical for Indians as well.

Another article said, "In India, sex before marriage is still considered a taboo...she comes from Punjab's Hoshiarpur district in India."

I can't imagine the desperation that would cause her to do this. Why didn't she just fly to a country where it is legal to have an abortion?

novabrkr said:

Newborn girls are often killed in India. the male-female ratio of the population in India is somewhere around 10:9.

Despite the shocking manner of attempting to dispose the baby it shouldn't really make too much difference in the end. If about 0.5-1 million kids get killed per year in India by poisoning, drowning or by slitting their throats that should be probably more of a concern than this type of a news story. The difference here is just that she got caught and got reported internationally.

She might have been highly educated, but obviously such traditional views have influenced her choice. That's not to say that most people in India would support infanticide either.

[Edited 7/9/10 23:34pm]

One fascinating outcome of this phenomenon is that it's beginning to socially backfire...

Eligible brides are now in growing demand/lowered supply in many Indian states, making them quite bankable. Families are beginning to want baby girls again because among those that observe more traditional nuptual arrangements, would-be grooms (or rather their fathers) are having to come up with increasingly impressive dowries as a condition of marriage. "No Toilet, No Bride" campaigns, for example, have swept areas of Indian where workable indoor plumbing is rare, and brides are seeking other concessions, too, like bigger houses, a steady stream of money, paid education, etc.

It's a downright poetic karmic turn.

[Edited 7/10/10 6:29am]

I think people who do stuff like this are scared...i feel sorry for her.

Cerebus said:

butterfli25 said:

not true, at 22, with a career most women in that culture are expected to marry, be virgin brides and some are already involved in arrangements, the marriages will wait until the degrees are obtained. Not to make any excuses for her but just being around that culture for a short time exposed me to the tremendous pressure for success and the fear of dishonor. Again I am not making excuses for her, but I do understand what could drive her to such an inhuman act.

I'm aware that the marraiges are arranged at a very early age. Totally agree with you there. But to my understanding, being allowed to go to school to get a degree and ESPECIALLY going overseas would be considered very tolerant. And not being married at 22 is old pretty old in Indian and Arabic cultures. Which wouldn't make you think she had a more strict, traditionalist family. Either way, definitely no excuses. The whole thing is just ugly no matter what her reasoning was/is.

Being allowed to get a degree does not necessarily mean the parents were tolerant. In India, there's huge pressure to do well in school (like in japan, suicide rates over this are high). She might not have even wanted to become a doctor. She might have felt huge pressure to satisfy her parents expectations...

The other article also said police will question her once she is declared medically and mentally fit. Haven't read anything about that yet.

Lammastide said:

EmeraldSkies said:

I hope the baby is going to be okay.

Co-

WTF is WRONG with people nowdays!!!???

A few possible explanations came to my mind for this...

* The baby was a product of rape (and her family could be against abortion or something)

* The baby was the product of an affair or something she felt her family would disown her for (like a man of a different religion or race or that she should still be a virgin etc)

* She is mentally ill or had a disorder that is getting worse (since she's a med student, she'd be around people a lot, and should be fairly intelligent, but some of the most intelligent people are crazy, too)

* She was on drugs of some sort.

* She was due to be in an arranged marriage but had an affair

Obviously none of it excuses what she did, but these are either the actions of somebody who is beyond terrified or not right in the head.

So sad on so many levels .