The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Meeting wants monitoring of pre-natal diagnostic techniques made stringent

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Sunday, Aug 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Meeting wants monitoring of pre-natal diagnostic techniques made stringent

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Reconciling the right to medical termination of pregnancy and the clauses of the Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act dominated the discussion at a State-level consultation, organised by the Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion and the Health Department, on Saturday.

Both the MTP Act and the PCPNDT Act must be read together was the consensus at the end of the day and both must be strictly enforced to address the issue of declining female sex ratio. The monitoring mechanism under the PCPNDT Act must be more stringent and pro-active, the participants argued.

The role of non-medical professionals in the implementation remains symbolic. That was why there was almost no conviction leading to imprisonment and the practice of killing foetuses continued. A plan worked out at the conclusion of day-long deliberations urged the Government to set up district-level committees as per the regulations of the Act and to frame rules that would govern the functioning of this committee. It also recommended that a State Supervisory Board be established to review the activities of the district committees, monitor the implementation of the PCPNDT Act and make suitable recommendations in the context of emerging sex determination technologies.

With reference to the MTP Act, activists pointed out that one of the major problems was the lack of specific technical guidelines for ‘safe abortions.’ In their absence, providers continued using unsafe practices. Hence, a list of guidelines must be drawn up immediately.

Earlier, explaining the aims of the consultation, P. Phavalam, convenor, Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion, said that while the MTP Act was necessary because it afforded a woman an option to have a safe abortion, it must not endanger the life of the girl child. The registration of scan centres was the highest in Tamil Nadu, but many aspects were being ignored by the implementing agency.

K.P. Sivasubramaniam, former judge, Madras High Court, said the success of the Acts depended on enforcement, and he would not be able to suggest amendments to the existing provisions. Misuse often resulted from riding piggyback on the “exception clauses” and the only way to check this was through implementation. He also stressed the need to examine the social context for the practice and attack the problem at its roots.

Bava Fathurudeen, Director of Medical Services, claimed that 99 per cent of the scan centres in Tamil Nadu were not revealing the sex of the child and that a majority of doctors were adhering to the rules — a statement that was counteracted almost immediately by his colleague in the Health Department, special secretary PWC Davidar. “There is a serious problem, especially in a few districts. The point is whether we question our methodology of intervention,” he said. He also warned NGOs not to follow the western ways of approaching development issues. The need was to find local solutions tailored to suit a defined message.

Chandra Athreya, State secretary, All India Democratic Women’s Association, said the MTP Act, the PCPNDT Act and Sections 312-316 of the IPC required a review. She suggested that to exercise better control over the scan centres, licences be renewed every three years instead of five, and it must be made mandatory for scan centres to fill up the relevant forms every time they scanned a pregnant woman.

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