One third of the seats in the Indian Parliament are now occupied by women, however, in an impoverished Tamil Nadu in south India girls are regarded as commodities to be sold into marriage by a hefty dowry. Desperately trying to avoid losing all they have means abortion, abandonment and adoption seem their only options. Parvati, whose first baby girl was killed by her husband, was forced to give up her second girl as well, "they took her off me, gave her away. I do not know where she is now". A glimmer of hope for these mothers comes in the form of the Madurai Mercy Home, but even they are learning fast that educating the locals certainly isn't a quick fix to this complex infanticide problem.