; the most common cause of death for pregnant women in the United States is homicide, often at the hands of the unborn child’s father. (iii) The study concluded that sex selection can be the product of an abusive environment created by marital partners, an extended family, or both. One-third of the women in the study reported that a history of family violence exacerbated when they did not give birth to a son. Notably, because the researchers had reason to fear for the participants’ exposure to marital violence, all subjects received information on local South Asian women’s organizations offering assistance for victims of family violence. The failure to bear a son is a serious matter