2. What is female foeticide?
Female Foeticide is the process of finding out
the sex of the foetus and undergoing abortion if
it is a girl.
Reasons for Foeticide:
Illiteracy
Poverty
Orthodox beliefs, etc
3. What is Female Infanticide?
Female Infanticide is the deliberate killing of
newborn female children.
Female infanticide is a major cause of concern in
several nations such as China, India and Pakistan.
Reasons for Infanticide:
Poverty
The dowry system
Births to unmarried women
Deformed infants
Maternal illness such as postpartum depression
4. Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal
Diagnostic
Techniques(PCPNDT)Act,1994
• Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic
Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 is an Act
of the Parliament of India enacted to stop
female foeticides and arrest the declining
sex ratio in India. The Act banned prenatal
sex determination.
5. Every genetic counseling centre, genetic
laboratory or genetic clinic e counseling or
conducting pre-natal diagnostics techniques,
like Fertilisation (IVF) with the potential of
sex selection (Preimplantatio diagnosis) before
and after conception comes under preview of the
PCPND are banned.
6. Main provisions in the act are-
• The Act provides for the prohibition of sex
selection, before or after conception.
• It regulates the use of pre-natal diagnostic
techniques, like ultrasound and amniocentesis.
• No laboratory or clinic will conduct any test
including ultra sonography for the purpose of
determining the sex of the foetus.
• No person, indulged in conducting the procedure as
per the law, will communicate the sex of the
foetus to the pregnant woman or her relatives by
words, signs or any other method.
• Each Ultrasound clinic, Genetic Counseling Centre,
Genetic Laboratory, Genetic Clinic and Imaging
Centre would have to maintain all the mandatory
records on a day to day basis, as prescribed under
the Law.
7. Objectives of the act-
• • The main objective of the Act is to stop
female foeticides and arrest the declining sex
ratio in India.
• The Act also regulates the misuse of a prenatal
diagnostic technique for sex-selective
abortions.
• The Act mandates compulsory registration of all
diagnostic laboratories, all genetic counseling
centers, genetic laboratories, genetic clinics
and ultrasound clinics.
8. Offences under this act-
• Advertisement by any person for pre-natal and
pre-conception sex determination facilities in
any form, can be imprisoned for years and fined
also.
• Conducting or helping in the conduct of
prenatal diagnostic technique in the
unregistered units.
• Conducting PND test for any purpose other than
the one mentioned in the act.
• Sale, distribution, supply, renting etc. Of any
ultra sound machine or any other equipment
capable of detecting sex of the foetus.
