BENGALURU: Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has suggested that sex determination be made compulsory to track pregnant women and check female foeticide. City Express asks city-based gynaecologists what they think of the out-of-the-box idea.
Dr Asha Benakappa, Director, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, said, “Sex determination test is only recommended when there is a possibility of rare congenital disorders. Making it mandatory might make it easier for people to opt for termination. Misuse of the law may lead to an even more skewed sex ratio.”
“Knowing the sex of the child before birth could lead to a social problem. Besides, it is against the law of nature,” she argued.
Many communities in India are male-dominated and prefer male children. Finding out that the foetus is female might end up putting the mother under pressure, said Dr Prakesh Mehta, Head of the Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital.
Dr Padmini Prasad, gyneacologist at Ramamani Nursing Home, agrees. Such a law will worsen the problem of female infanticide, she said. To protect the female foetus, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act of 1994 came into existence. This forbids medical professionals from helping families detect the sex of the baby in the womb.
Hema Diwakar, President of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), the apex body of obstetricians and gynecologists in the country, lauded the ‘mother and child tracking system’ and said this could be a relief to doctors. “If this move is implemented, only the parents and caretakers will be held responsible in case of female foeticide.”
The Act
Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act of 1994 is aimed at stopping female foeticides and arresting the declining sex ratio in India. The act bans prenatal sex determination. Offences under the Act include conducting or helping in the conduct of pre-natal diagnostic technique in unregistered units, sex selection on a man or woman, conducting PND test for any purpose other than the ones mentioned in the Act, sale, distribution, supply and renting of ultra sound machines or any other equipment capable of detecting sex of the foetus. The Act provides for the prohibition of sex selection, before or after conception. It regulates the use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques, like ultrasound and amniocentesis, by allowing their use only to detect genetic abnormalities, metabolic disorders, chromosomal abnormalities, certain congenital malformations, haemoglobinopathies and sex-linked disorders.