Karnataka's 27 districts report rampant misuse of ultrasonography for sex determination. Around 7-10 pregnancies are terminated for medical reasons every month in each of the 27 districts in the state. However, the reports sent to the department of health and family welfare, government of Karnataka do not reveal the sex of foetus. Now with the Centre's revised guidelines for the pre-natal determination techniques (PNDT) Act 2003 will put doctors and diagnostic clinics under the scanner, stated sources from the Bangalore Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The additional guidelines include penal action against the doctors for terminating pregnancies if the baby is a female.

The PNDT Act 2003 has laid down guidelines that ban ultrasound scans to determine the sex of the foetus but does include the termination of the ensuing pregnancy.

The national committee on the medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) has now introduced two forms to be filled up by the doctor and patient whose pregnancy is to be terminated. The doctor must give a specific reason for terminating the pregnancy and also determine the sex of the foetus.

The patient must also give a statement that she has not undergone a sex determination test for knowing the sex of the foetus but has approached the doctor for a particular symptom during her pregnancy and hence was advised by the medical practitioner to go in for abortion on because of her health condition that prevented her from continuing the pregnancy. The form can be submitted by the patient. It could be signed by her parents if she is a minor or a mentally challenged case.

Members of Bangalore Society for Obstetrics and Gynaecology have welcomed the forms which will allow the authorities to assess why the foetus was aborted.

According to a section of gynaecologists, the patients and their relatives must be punished as it mostly the latter's persuasion that the former concedes for such practices.

A section of senior officials from the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare department who wish to be anonymous in the absence of the director of Reproductive Child Health (RCH) department who superannuated recently stated that the new guidelines will help them to keep a track of the PNDT activities which has been on.

Although a tough stand on the unregistered clinics was taken and regular raids conducted in remote parts of villages where mobile vans carry ultra sound systems, yet it has been difficult for the government officials to track down the violators and reprimand them from the rolls of service, they added.

According to the Census of India 2001 report, the sex ratio in Karnataka has increased from 960 females per thousand males in 1991 to 964 in 2001.But the sex ratio of the child population in the age group of 0-6 years reveals a major drop from 960 to 949.