Call to stop selective abortions

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, MARCH 3. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) must intervene to put an end to rampant practice of sex-selective abortions, speakers at a meeting on `Stopping the usage of sex selective technologies' said here on Friday.

Laying stress on the role of the IMA, Dr.Vasanthi Devi, former Vice Chancellor, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University insisted that individual doctors keep by professional ethics and not become accomplices to the acts of sex-selective abortions.

Though the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act and Rules require that scan centres be registered, a number of such centres are still functioning illegally. Stringent action must be taken against those who run these centres. The Act must be made more severe, she added, speaking at the meeting organised by the Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion (CASSA).

Though a number of medical practitioners claimed to be helpless, they would have to take up the matter seriously. The initial doubts about whether sex selective diagnostic techniques would have an effect on the trends in sex-ratio had been dispelled entirely. In addition to doctors and diagnosticians, the media must be critical about the movement and support the movement against sex-selective abortion, he said.

A book on `Female foeticide in Tamil Nadu', a report of a state level convention held on December 2 and 3, 1998 was released on the occasion. Ms.K.Kalpana of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum pointed out that a number of sites on the net advocate sex- selective abortion as a painless, cheap option. The movement would have to look into this aspect as well, she urged. Ms.Mythili Sivaraman of the All India Democratic Women's Association promised the support of women activists to this campaign.

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Section  : Southern States
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