Question

Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic technique Act was enacted in
(a) 2013
(b) 1994
(c) 2000
(d) 2014

Answer 1

Hint: Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, is an Act enacted by the Parliament of India. It was enacted to stop female foeticides and arrest the declining sex ratio in India.

Complete answer:
The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act was enacted in 1994 by the parliament of 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 are banned under the preview of the PCPNDT Act.
There was a tendency for families to continuously produce children until a male child was born. Social discrimination against women and a preference for sons have promoted female foeticide in various forms skewing the sex ratio of the country towards men. This made the government ban the Pre- Conception and Pre- Natal sex determination.

Additional Information:
- Prenatal testing can involve blood tests, imaging studies, chromosome analysis and another genetic testing to assess your health as well as the baby's health.
- As per the PCPNDT act, sex selection is an act of identifying the sex of the foetus and elimination of the foetus if it is of the unwanted sex.
- Offences under this act include conducting or helping in the conduct of prenatal diagnostic technique in the unregistered units.
So, the correct answer is '(b) 1994'.

Note:
- The Act provides for the prohibition of sex selection, before or after conception.
- No laboratory or centre or clinic will conduct any test including ultrasonography for the purpose of determining the sex of the foetus.
- No person, including the one who is conducting the procedure as per the law, will communicate the sex of the foetus to the pregnant woman or her relatives by words, signs or any other method.