Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act

IN NEWS:

• The Supreme Court recently issued notice to the Centre on a petition against a notification suspending certain provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex-Selection) Rules in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABOUT PCPNDT ACT:

• 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.
• Every genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory or genetic clinic engaged in counselling or conducting pre-natal diagnostics techniques, like in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with the potential of sex selection (Preimplantation genetic diagnosis) before and after conception comes under preview of the PCPNDT Act and are banned.
• The law was created in 1994 when sex selective abortions became wide spread as ultrasound techniques gained became increasingly available in India in 90s.

PRELIMS QUESTION:

Q. The term PCPNDT act, is associated with prevention of:

1. Female infanticide
2. Sati and similar practices
3. Workplace Harassment of women
4. None of the above

Answer to Prelims question