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 community of
life-saving and essential ultrasonography which has now become an extension of
clinical practice for all specialties globally, being a well-known
non-invasive, cost-effective and accurate diagnostic tool.” (The Hindu,
October 25 2015)
In
this regard, IMA had 2 key demands:
- There will be “graded punishments” in case of violations of the act
- Non-obstetric ultrasound centers will not be required to be registered anywhere.
The
health ministry has agreed to these changes and the changes are likely to come
within next 45 days.
A
women’s right activist who was instrumental in the framing of the PC-PNDT act
said that “Specifically, the strong deterrent sections will be amended by
bringing in graded punishments which will lead to conversion of criminal offenses into technical deficiencies (clerical errors).” (New Indian
Express 10 April 2018)
Source:
New Indian Express
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