Sex detection tests, though illegal, are rampant across India and lead to skewed gender ratio

The fight for girls’ rights is secondary to fighting to first keep them alive. Many people in India still want sons, not daughters. They are willing to do anything to see that their women do not give birth to girls. The latest pattern shows they seem to prefer termination of pregnancy over female infanticide. The illegal use of sex determination tests to know the sex of the unborn child is rampant in India. It shows the utter failure of State Governments and the police force to strictly enforce the ban on such tests. The latest instance is from Odisha, where a racket was busted in Berhampur last week. The police raided a residence-cum-clinic where it said an inter-State sex selection racket was in operation for years. When the clinic was raided, 11 pregnant women were awaiting their turn. Over a dozen accused were arrested, including, shockingly, an ASHA worker. A sophisticated, portable ultrasound machine, banned since 2005, and paraphernalia were seized. It was a “referral” clinic recommended to pregnant women by medical practitioners. A day earlier, Dharmapuri police in Tamil Nadu rescued six pregnant women from an illegal clinic and seized an ultrasound machine. A week ago, the Kurukshetra police in Haryana exposed an illegal clinic. In April, too, a decoy team of Haryana and Delhi officials raided a Delhi nursing home involved in this racket. Another illegal clinic was closed down in Ludhiana this March. The Rajkot police in Gujarat arrested the kingpins of a similar racket in a nursing home.

Such sex determination operations are happening in every State of the country. The affluent have other alternatives like going abroad where the tests are legal. Some years ago, it came to light that sex detection kits were being smuggled into the country from abroad. Costing close to Rs20,000, the kits were easier to transport and deliver and were less messy. Non-invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is another technology that has come to India. It is highly accurate and can determine the sex of the foetus quite early in the pregnancy. The test is officially allowed to detect genetic disorders in the embryo. However, its misuse is also reported. Last August, a raid on a private laboratory in Gurugram revealed the use of this test. It is quite clear that the primary reason for the skewed gender ratio in many States is people resorting to female foeticide or abortion after knowing the baby’s gender. It is officially acknowledged that millions of girls are statistically missing in India, and millions more are abandoned as “unwanted”. The Government must take the initiative to stop the racket. The Medical Council of India can de-register medical practitioners involved in conducting the tests. Campaigns and counselling at the community level can save the girl child. Pregnant women need the support of the State to be able to say ‘no’ when forced to undergo the test.