Union Health Ministry has agreed to make certain changes in the draconian PC-PNDT Act. This decision has angered many doctors and women’s rights activists who fear that the proposed amendments will weaken this act and further aggravate the imbalanced sex ratio in the country. The PC-PNDT Act 1994, which was enacted with the aim to curb female feticide, has failed to improve the sex ratio in the country despite being in existence for over 20 years.
Even a smallest error in compliance of the Act, either in sex determination or non-maintenance of records, brings heavy penalty on the errant. Thus, implementation of this draconian Act has major negative consequences. Therefore, IMA has been demanding major revisions in the PC-PNDT Act since 2015, stating that “ In its current form, the implementation of the Pre-Conception, Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act has deprived the…
