The PCPNDT Act was passed in India in 1994 and amended in 2002 with good intentions. It was framed in order to prevent gender selection, control female feticide and balance the sex ratio. At that time, the major technology which was being used to determine fetal gender was ultrasound scanning, and the Govt of India started monitoring all ultrasound scans. Sadly, the fact remains that the Act is outdated because medical technology has moved on !
The Act now needs to be updated and amended because it is now possible to determine fetal gender by testing the mother's blood. NIPT ( non-invasive prenatal testing) technology is readily available in India today. This is a simple and cheap test, which just involves taking a blood sample from the mother when she is 8 weeks pregnant. The lab then separates the fetal DNA ( cell-free DNA) from the maternal blood, and does a genetic analysis on this…
