17,000 Indian Doctors Will Deliver Baby Girls Free of Charge – Here's Why

An Indian doctor's pledge to deliver baby girls for free has inspired thousands of other doctors to do the same.

Dr. Ganesh Rakh got used to seeing family members cry or get angry when they learned they would have to pay for the birth of a baby girl.

The Sidney Morning Herald reports one episode in which the father discovered his wife had given birth to a baby girl and went into a rage, slapping the new mother's face and saying he would leave her to find a woman who could give him a son.

These types of regular scenes upset Dr. Rakh so much that he decided to forgo his usual fee of $300-$500 for delivering a baby girl.

Rakh and his staff also celebrate the birth of baby girls, gathering around the new mother with a cake, candles, and roses to make the mother feel special and to shame angry or disappointed relatives.

More than 400 girls have since been delivered free.

And Dr. Rakh says that 17,000 other doctors have pledged to charge a reduced fee or charge nothing for delivering baby girls.