Three decades after India banned prenatal sex determination, Dr. RV. Asokan, President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), has called for its legalization, arguing that the ban has not significantly improved the country’s gender ratio.
The ban on the test was imposed under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act of 1994 to prevent female foeticide and improve the sex ratio. While census data shows a slight improvement, from 927 females per 1,000 males in 1991 to 943 females in 2011, Dr. Asokan questioned the law’s effectiveness.
The IMA president proposes a system where, after gender detection, the unborn child is "tagged" and monitored, holding individuals accountable for any harm. He believes this approach, coupled with available technology, could be a more effective solution to address the issue of female foeticide.
Dr. Asokan also criticized the current law for loosely targeting ultrasound machines and medical professionals, creating unnecessary obstacles in healthcare. With today's advancements, he emphasized that prenatal gender detection could be a regulated tool for child protection.
The IMA’s central working committee is now advocating for this reform, aiming to strike a balance between gender detection and protecting the unborn. The announcement has caused some discussion among medical professionals with many doctors expressing fears over the implications of making prenatal gender detection legal.
