Female Foeticide: TN quack arrested for gory sex-selective abortions

She was caught even as five patients were waiting for abortion.
Female Foeticide: TN quack arrested for gory sex-selective abortions
Female Foeticide: TN quack arrested for gory sex-selective abortions

In a horrifying practice of female foeticide in Tamil Nadu, a quack was arrested for performing sex determination tests and abortions at Tiruvannamalai on Tuesday evening.

48-year-old Anandi was in the midst of performing abortions on five women when she was caught by officers from the Tamil Nadu Medical and Rural Health Services.

Anandi worked out of her terrace with an ultrasound machine which, by law, only an authorized technician can operate. 

Speaking to TNM, a senior official of the Medical and Rural Health Services said women in their 4th or 5th month of pregnancy would approach Anandi and once the sex of their baby was determined as female, she would perform an abortion. 

The abortion was nothing short of gory.

“Anandi would render women unconscious with chloroform and administer a vaginal pill. We also suspect that in some cases she was allegedly pulling out the foetuses manually,” he said. 

Obstetrician Dr. Jaishri Gajaraj said, “Normally a pill is administered as an anti-progesterone to abort the foetus and then the foetus naturally comes out. But to pull the foetus out is a condemnable practice."

The official said, “After an anonymous complaint was received, we remanded her. She will be booked under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Act and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971,” he said, adding, “The woman’s operations were all covert and most of the women who approached her were from neighbouring villages.”

Under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Act, a person can be imprisoned up to three years and fined Rs 10,000. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, if a person who wilfully refuses to comply with the regulations made, he/she will be fined Rs 1000.

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