| From The Tribune, Chandigarh 2003/09/12 Son
fixation THE Supreme Court’s directive to the government to implement the provisions of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act banning sex determination tests and sex selection to prevent female foeticide is timely. The court has been closely monitoring the implementation of its various orders passed since May, 2001, regarding the ban on the use of ultrasound scanners for conducting such tests. Subsequently, it had sought status reports from all states and Union Territories. It had ordered compulsory registration of all diagnostic centres across the country. There was impasse in Parliament over the Bill on sex determination tests. The Indian Radiologists’ Association wanted a clear distinction between clinics, which were engaged in diagnosis for gynaecological purposes, and those for non-gynaecological purposes such as kidney and liver problems. Parliament finally passed the Bill. Wednesday’s directive reflects the Supreme Court’s desire to enforce the Act with a sense of urgency. However, doubts are bound to be raised on the effectiveness of the legislation as the issue mainly relates to people’s attitudes and preferences. The desire for a son, for instance, is deep-rooted in both rural and urban areas. The problem of dowry and the choice of a son for social security have also contributed to the malady. However, these have led to serious gender discrimination and adverse demographic implications in many states. For instance, according to an estimate, parts of Haryana have witnessed a dip in sex ratio — 618 girls for 1,000 boys. On the whole, while the national sex ratio is 933 per 1,000 men, in Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi, it is below 900. This shows that the menace has reached alarming proportions even in urban areas. The Act prohibits determination and disclosure of the sex of foetus. It also prohibits any advertisements relating to pre-natal determination of sex. Following the apex court’s orders earlier, appropriate authorities with powers of civil court have been appointed. These were empowered to prosecute the clinics and the doctors if they used ultrasound technique for sex determination. A committee has also been constituted at the national level to monitor the enforcement of the Act through field visits. However welcome these provisions are, legislation alone will not help check female foeticide. What is of utmost importance is a change in the people’s attitude. The preference for a son must go if the larger problem of female foeticide is to be tackled. Guru Nanak asserted that women were not at all inferior to men:
From the Editor's desk Punjabis and Haryanvis constitute the finest men and women India have to offer. However, they have maintained vestiges of cruelty more sinister than the practice of Sati in the matter of female foeticide. It is quite possible that the practice of female dowry arose as a result of reduction in the number of men in India due to constant warring and the genetic robustness of the female fetus. Historically, in the absence of genetic testing, infanticide was the only available option for discarding the female child. This heinous practice continues today in the southern parts of India where families cannot afford an illegal ultrasound test. People in Punjab, Haryana and other Western states can afford illegal test to determine the sex of the baby and discard it. Thus the act of having a family gets reduced to an economic activity instead of a union of two souls. As India becomes a stable country and males do not get consumed to hateful acts by fellow humans, the number of males have gone up. However, the practice of dowry remains stronger than ever. The families that commit female foeticide love their living daughters, however that passion is not extended to the fetus. The progressive feminine movements tend to have mixed feeling towards this inhuman cruelty as they are in favor or overall freedom of abortion. Their voices get blunted as they have to support both sides of the coin. The religious conservatives are too steeped in social prejudices to be paying attention to the words of Guru Nanak in this regard. True adherence to the Gurus words and bravery is the only way out of this inhuman condition of the human spirit. Links Ideas to prevent infanticide and foeticide
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