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 NEW DELHI (AP) - India's first female president was sworn in Wednesday, vowing to eliminate the practice of aborting female fetuses and to empower women, who are often treated as second-class citizens.
A white-clad, mounted honor guard escorted Pratibha Patil's limousine to Parliament, where she took the oath of office. The ceremony was followed by a 21-gun salute announcing the inauguration of India's 13th president.
Despite being touted as an important step for gender equality, Patil's election to the largely ceremonial post has elicited only a lukewarm response from many women who say it has given them little more than a symbol — not a leader who represents them.
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