Southern States
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Tamil Nadu
`Doctors must help to end illegal sex tests'
By Our Staff Reporter
CHENNAI, JAN. 22. A call for an increased, more `responsible' role for medical practitioners in putting an end to illegal sex determination practices was made at a meeting held here today to discuss amendments to the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.
A code of ethics would have to be formed by the Medical Council of India, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Indian Medical Association, for members of their fraternity. It would contribute to the movement against discriminatory sex selection processes, the participants felt. The meeting was convened by the Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion to review the proposed amendments to the PNDT Act and the implementing mechanisms.
While the broad agenda of the workshop was to plug loopholes in the Act, it was also proposed to make the legislation watertight against impending advancements in technology. Other suggestions included making documentation mandatory at abortion centres and by referral doctors. Records of abortions should be maintained, with the reasons specified.
The Supreme Court order to suppliers and manufacturers of scan equipment that they provide details of sales, should be woven into the Act. The state supervisory committee and the appropriate authority constituted under the Act consisted largely of bureaucrats. It was suggested that members who were involved in the issue be made part of the committees. Punishments under the present Act were not a sufficient deterrent and therefore it should be made more stringent.
Quoting the economist, Amartya Sen, the Frontline editor, N. Ram, said the state was a notorious delinquent when it came to enforcing laws. In the northern and western parts of the country, there was an abominably low female sex ratio, primarily encouraged by the sectarian politics of the areas. The State Planning Commission member, Vasanthi Devi, said the amendments should envisage technological advancements and prepare for the future. The Health researcher, Sabu George, and the National Law School researcher, Aravind Narain, spoke.
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