PUDUCHERRY: It is illegal to convey the sex of a foetus to the pregnant woman or her family by word of mouth, in writing or through gestures, except in the case of sex-linked disorders, Director of Health Dilip Kumar Baliga said on Saturday. He was speaking at a sensitisation workshop for police personnel on the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex-Selection) Act, 1994 in Puducherry. Pointing out that the last century had seen a continual decline in the country’s sex-ratio, he said the decline had its roots in the practice of sex selective abortions.The child sex ratio has declined from 927 girls for 1000 boys as per the 2001 census to 914 in 2011. According to the 2011 census (provisional) the child sex ratio of Puducherry Union Territory is 965 (against 967 in 2001 census) he said.The Health director said the adverse child sex ratio can severely impact the delicate equilibrium of nature and can destroy our moral and social fabric. “Less number of girls in a society could lead to increased violence, abduction and sexual abuse against women, trafficking and polyandry as seen in some villages of Punjab and Haryana.” In Haryana, women from Kerala were lured to marry males of the same family in certain areas of the state, he said.The PC & PNDT (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 prohibits sex selection and sex determination. Its purpose is to prevent the misuse of technology such as ultrasound or other pre-conceptional methods to determine the sex of a foetus. The Act makes it illegal to test for the sex of the foetus in order to eliminate a female child. It also makes it illegal for doctors to use technological devices to reveals the sex of a foetus to the parents or relatives even through gestures, he told the enthusiastic gathering of police officials.He said genetic clinics, genetic labs, genetic counselling centres and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Centres should be registered and only doctors qualified under the Act are eligible to work at such setups. The clinics have to maintain all the necessary registers and forms and should display the notice, “Disclosure of sex of the fetus is prohibited under the law ”, in English as well as local language.Baliga said doctors and clinics advertising sex determination tests in any form are liable for punishment. “The law provides for removal of his/her name from the register of the Medical Council for five years or permanently with a penalty ranging from Rs 1,000/- to 1,00,000/- depending on the severity of violation as well as imprisonment for a period ranging from three months to five years.”Baliga suggested surprise visits to clinics to check for registration details, proper maintenance of records and urged the officers to initiate enquiries into complaints received about alleged violations.
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