Government’s decision to monitor pregnancies is a regressive step.
In a bid to check female infanticide and the worsening sex ratio, the Indian government has decided to make registration mandatory for all pregnancies. Further, abortions would now be allowed under certain circumstances.
On Thursday, Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury told Hindustan Times that she wanted each pregnancy to be registered. “This will help to check both foeticide and infant mortality,” she said.
Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had said on Wednesday, “We will provide facilities to conduct pregnancy tests in each village. It will help provide better healthcare facilities to mother and child.”
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Abortions in India are currently governed by the Medical termination of Pregnancy Act 1971. While the act only allows termination of pregnancies (upto 20 weeks) if it would cause ”grave injury to physical and mental health of the women”, it leaves a big loophole.
Where any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method used by any married woman or her husband for the purpose of limiting the number of children, the anguish caused by such unwanted pregnancy may be resumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman.
Read the rest on Policy Wise.
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from the policywise part –
>>> The Pre-conception pre-natal diagnostic techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) Act of 1994 banned pre-natal sex determination. However, the first conviction under this act was only handed out in 2006!
True…
When this could not stop female infanticide… I dont see any way this will help..
I meant –
If banning pre-natal tests did not work, registering pregnancies and banning abortions (people will abort illegally) will not work either.
R
good post!
n we did spend our energies on “svaing the girl child”
http://retributions.wordpress.com/2007/02/22/saving-the-girl-child/
a) why do you think it’s a regressive step?
b) I have a few questions to ask : the Government n the rulers
- many issues are kick-started with rigor by the political leaders, there’s been a riotous uproar on “investigation” part, but I wonder, how many of those have seen the broad day light? how many of them lost the much-desired steam before it could chug out of the den?
- considering the rich n luxurious heritage of high failure rate or high sustenace rate or nonchalance or inefficiency
I suspect a foul smell of success in implementing n reaching that last mile with a glee on lips?
- intrusion n confidential matter to be part of a data bank….how efficiently many data banks were maintained in the past? cherish n refresh the memories..I am gathering dust over here!
- How motivated are these soldiers, Anganwadi workers? I know these soldiers are driven n hardworking but has the Government taken any steps to improve the financial status of this battalion of soldiers?
- as Rippu asked, have you put in tight clamps or lids on Pre-natal tests in those gullies where even the flies n mosquitoes fear to fly around?
- have you zeroed-in on unorganised, *-registered and illegal hospitals or those centers which encourage such mal-practices of life?
- could you please drive some sense in those young women who allow “love making” rituals without condoms, blindly fooled by that idiot n dreams as consumed over cups of coffees nbites of chocolates?
- Could you please think about all those girl-child beggars on the streets who are bending their supple young bodies to go through a tiny steel ring thus displaying flexibility of muscles to all of us in the cars n seek a few paisas? could u please take care of their clothing, living, food n primary education…
-could u please kick fervently the hind-swells of these little girls’ parents as they force these children to beg? could you please provide employment to all those jobless or stubborn people who still love to beg in the streets?
-could you please shut the mouths of moms-in-laws when this young woman has just revealed the fact that she is pregnant? could u please pin diwn that boneless, spinless husband of hers for 9 months>
could u…could you..could you….
if u work on at least 5 of thm, I would be happy !
*R-Renuka could also be one of those power women in India.
Perhaps they should monitor activities that lead to pregnancies.
Shadows,
Yes, the logistics are going to prove immensely difficult to implement and if not impossible.
Jyo,
I think it is regressive because it ignores the real issues; of empowerment, education e.t.c, It smacks of the big populist steps the government is inclined to take from time to time just to show it is doing something.
Barb,
The day is not far off.
R
got your point. Sure, our Govt does kick start many things ala a highly excited kid, especially, when the moment of trial is in the vicinity (i.e.elections), its thinking tank n vibrations of energy are so overwhelming….I really have to fall down on my knees with reverence for the body that I could never see
how successful has been this venture “Mid-day meals”, pan-India ? day before yesterday, the Govt hinted at “enhancing Green belt in the country. can it prod the city-scape thinkers to create public commutation projects without harming the thin green patch? no. Three more trees adorning our MG ROAD boulevard vanished over this weekend
n our respected PM today was talking about the “LINE OF PEACE”….I sincerely feel sorry for him, what’s the use of empty talks when the rest of the world does not even a moment to think about lines n curves!
I just so want to stop payign taxes. I refuse to slog my a** off and pay for such idiotic actions.
@Cinamon: A wise man once said “Taxes are what we pay for civilization.” Expecting the world from the govt and not wanting to pay taxes is bs. But once u pay the taxes, u do have the right to ask the govt to do an efficient job of what it is meant to do – which in our case, is not happ.