India tightens law preventing prenatal sex determination

India plans to tighten laws banning prenatal tests to determine the sex of the fetus in a bid to curb the killing of thousands of female fetuses. India's Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act - which outlaws doctors from carrying out sex determination tests - has been in force since 1994 but local authorities lack the will to combat female infanticide. Besides, families seek sons over daughters and unscrupulous doctors attempt to get around the law, making enforcement difficult. A joint study carried out by researchers from India and Canada suggested that a half million unborn females may be aborted in India every year, with parents preferring boys as being a better asset to the family. The Health Minister wants to take into consideration everyone's view in order to further strengthen the act and its enforcement and implementation. This is an issue where quick action is needed. Amendments being considered include improved monitoring of deaths of girls across the country, making doctors more accountable, striking them off the medical council if found guilty, and forcing traditionally conservative states to better enforce the law. States like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and also cities like Delhi and Chandigarh are not enforcing legislation and as a result have heavily skewed sex ratios. On average in all the states, there are around 924 girls to every 1,000 boys. But in some states like Haryana and Punjab, the ratio of girls has dropped as low as 500 or 600 to every 1,000 boys. Since the legislation was passed 12 years ago, according to health officials, there have been 387 cases lodged under the act but only one had resulted in a conviction.