Illegal abortions: Over 120 FIRs registered in state so far

Under the directions of Health and Family Welfare Minister Arti Singh Rao, the weekly meeting of the State Task Force (STF) for improving sex ratio in Haryana was held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal here today.

Rajpal emphasised the need for stringent enforcement against illegal abortions, instructing officials to take punitive measures, including revoking the licences of doctors found complicit. He said the state was implementing reverse tracking of all medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) and abortion cases beyond 12 weeks, particularly where women already have one or more daughters. Over 120 FIRs had been registered across Haryana this year over illegal abortion practices, including the unlawful sale of MTP kits. Of these, challan had been presented in court in 39 cases, while 47 cases were currently under investigation.

The Additional Chief Secretary directed that the CMOs in all districts be provided legal help, along with coordination with the police, to ensure that these cases could be taken to their logical conclusion.

He also called for better deployment of ANM and ASHA workers, with focus on urban areas. He directed the police to work closely with health officials during raids and to dismantle the network involved in sex determination and illegal abortions. For this, he emphasised tracing phone records and the location history of accused persons.

He also directed that no nodal officer for PNDT in any district could be transferred without the permission of the Director General, Health Services (DGHS). The DGHS would have the power to choose and appoint these nodal officers for all districts.

The Woman and Child Development Department informed that an awareness advertisement on the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign was being aired in cinema halls across the state. A dedicated dashboard for Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities had been created to monitor campaign activities, and would be operational next month.