Sex-selective abortions are discriminatory and should be banned, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muizneks, has called on Member States to ”vigorously counter” sex-selective abortions, saying that whilst the practice was widely associated  with India and China, it was also "common in some parts of Europe."

"Sex selective abortion is a clear case of discrimination with strong elements of physical and psychological violence," he said.  

"We need strong deterrents to eliminate this practice...[It] must be banned in law.”

Mr Muizneks pointed to research showing evidence of sex imbalances at birth in several countries in Eastern Europe, saying that the skewed sex ratios were widely attributed to the selective abortion of females.

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