Falling child sex ratio, systemic bias: Why India banned checking a baby's sex in the womb

📌 Summary:

• The Supreme Court (June 11) dismissed a Maharashtra doctor's appeal seeking to quash proceedings under the PCPNDT Act, 1994
• The Court reviewed the Act's history and India's skewed sex ratios, noting that progress on the ratio is incomplete and uneven
• Background: Between 1981 and 1991, India's child sex ratio (girls per 1,000 boys, 0-6 age group) declined from 962 to 945 as ultrasound techniques spread
• The PCPNDT Act was passed to make pre-natal sex determination illegal — preventing disclosure of foetal sex and the resulting sex-selective abortions driven by family/societal pressure

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 (Society) — gender bias, declining child sex ratio and son-preference; GS2 link via legislative/judicial enforcement.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• PCPNDT = Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994
• Child sex ratio = number of girls per 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group
• Child sex ratio fell from 962 (1981) to 945 (1991)

🔑 Key Term: Child Sex Ratio (CSR) — girls per 1,000 boys aged 0-6; a key indicator of gender bias and sex-selective practices.