23 doctors across Tamil Nadu have been booked in the last three years for sex-selective abortions, sex determination and other violations under the pre-natal diagnostic act.
According to the Times of India, in February , the state medical council temporarily barred a Neyveli-based gynaecologist from practising medicine following complaints from the Directorate of Medical Services. Last year, doctors at Dharamapuri Medical College tipped off health inspectors about a patient who came in with severe bleeding after a quack in the area attempted medical termination. The quack was arrested after it was revealed that she had determined the sex of the child before the termination.
In Tamil Nadu, particularly in districts like Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Namakkal, Perambalur and Cuddalore, the sex ratio is skewed. Cheap technology such as ultrasound has made it possible for people to determine the sex of fetus and terminate pregnancy. In a previous case, the state medical council temporarily barred Dr K Ramachandran of Mahalakshmi Nursing Home in Neyveli from practicing medicine after an inspection found him wheeling in a woman for sex-selective abortion.State medical council president K Senthil said the council would debar doctors up to two years if found guilty of sex determination and sex selective abortion.