A dad takes on the patriarchy

Sunil discussing health issues with women in a farming village in Haryana State in India where he has led a campaign against prenatal sex testing. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

WHEN the nurse stepped out of the delivery room, her face turned sombre as she approached with a baby in her arms wrapped in a blanket. Her voice dropped to a hush, almost like she was ashamed, as she announced to the family: “It is a daughter.”

Nothing about the nurse’s negative demeanour surprised Sunil Jaglan, the newborn’s father. Growing up in the northern Indian state of Haryana, he was accustomed to parents’ strong preference for having sons over daughters.