Couples with daughter trying for 2nd baby via IVF need prior govt approval
According to a directive from the additional chief secretary health, couples opting for IVF need to file an application with the District Appropriate Authority (DAA) along with supporting documents like birth certificates of children, documents related to childbirth or miscarriage, and reasons for seeking IVF.
The decision was taken at the latest weekly review meeting of the state task force (STF) established for course correction after Haryana's annual sex ratio at birth fell from 916 in 2023 to 910 in 2024, setting off alarm bells in the state with a history of female infanticide. The meeting was chaired by health and family welfare minister Arti Rao and ACS health Sudhir Rajpal.
You Can Also Check:
Gurgaon AQI
|
Weather in Gurgaon
|
Bank Holidays in Gurgaon
|
Public Holidays in Gurgaon
The directive to seek prior IVF permission will be applicable to couples with one or more daughters and also to those with a son and a daughter.
Officials said the measure aims to prevent misuse of assisted reproduction for sex selection. DAA, whose chairperson is the deputy commissioner and member secretary is the chief medical officer (CMO), has been tasked with reviewing applications and monitoring IVF centres.
DAA plays a key regulatory and enforcement role under various health-related laws and programmes, notably the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act that Haryana health teams have operated under for years to track down illegal abortion rackets.
Officials said IVF clinics that don't follow this directive will face penalties under PCPNDT Act, cancellation of licence and criminal prosecution. "District authorities must ensure strict scrutiny in such IVF cases to avoid any possibility of gender discrimination through assisted reproductive techniques," Rajpal said. Calling for "zero tolerance" towards illegal abortions, Rajpal ordered CMOs to reverse-track all abortions performed up to 24 weeks to identify medical professionals involved.
"A detailed protocol for reverse-tracking has already been circulated, and strict action, including licence cancellation, will be taken against violators," he said.
IVF centres will also have to submit monthly reports to the health department. Explaining the reason behind the directive, a senior health department officer said, "During IVF, embryos are created outside the body. Before implantation, clinics may offer Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) to screen embryos for genetic diseases.
PGT can also reveal the sex of the embryo, even though this is legally restricted in India.
Some unethical clinics may use this technology to select only male embryos for implantation. Clinics or couples may choose to implant only male embryos, discarding or freezing female ones, even when both are healthy. While revealing the sex of a foetus or embryo is banned under PCPNDT Act in India, some clinics illegally inform couples about the gender during or after IVF procedures, leading to sex-selective abortions."
Among other measures, STF has directed all districts to carry out more than 10 raids every week targeting illegal abortion centres and unauthorised practitioners including BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) suspected of carrying out unlawful terminations of pregnancy. CMOs have been told to submit weekly reports. STF is also pushing for stronger coordination between health authorities, police and district administrations to enforce these directives effectively so that sex ratio gains made by the state over a decade since it began the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign are not lost.
Data shows a slight improvement in state's sex ratio, which stands at 904 girls per 1,000 boys as of July 7, an increase from 903 during the same period last year. Last year, 13 of Haryana's 22 districts saw a fall in sex ratio at birth, leading to the 6-point fall.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat HC upholds state government's move to levy VAT on sale of medicines, implants by private hospitals to indoor patients
The Gujarat High Court on Friday upheld the state government's decision to levy VAT on the sale of medicines, implants, prosthetics, stents, and other consumables supplied by private hospitals to their indoor patients during the course of treatment. The HC was hearing a 2011 petition moved by private hospitals in the state challenging the notices issued and demand by the state government to levy VAT on certain hospitals. Leading hospitals, including Sterling, Bankers Cardiology, Shalby, CIMS, and Wockhardt, had challenged the tax demands issued under the Gujarat Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, 2003, contending that healthcare services rendered to indoor patients constitute a composite medical service and cannot be classified as a 'sale' for the purpose of taxation. Countering the petitions on behalf of the State, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, assisted by Assistant Government Pleader Vinay Bairagra, argued that following the 46th Amendment to the Constitution, health care services provided by private hospitals fall within the ambit of 'works contract' as defined under Article 366 (29A) of the Constitution read with Section 2(23) of the Gujarat VAT Act. The State contended that tax was being levied not on the entire medical service, but only on the transfer of goods involved during the course of treatment. 'A Division Bench comprising Justice B D Karia and Justice D N Ray accepted the State's contentions, ruling that after the 46th Constitutional Amendment, all composite contracts, including those involving healthcare services to indoor patients, can be treated as 'works contracts'. Consequently, the tax component on the transfer of goods embedded in such services is justified and valid,' Advocate General Trivedi said. The judgment clears the way for the VAT department to recover dues from private hospitals on the sale value of consumables and medical goods like medicaments, prosthetics, implants, stents, etc. provided during treatment to their patients. The ruling is seen as a landmark clarification on the taxability of medical services under the VAT regime. While dictating the order orally, the court observed, 'Rendering services together with supply of implants, stents, medicine etc, for treatment of indoor patients cannot be given a restricted meaning by excluding the same from 'works contract'. On the basis that the 'works contract' as a concept was originally confined to contracts involving properties alone…' The court said, 'However, after the 46th amendment to the Constitution, definition of works contract was widened. It is broad based, taking within its fold every possible and conceivable contract involving transfer of property, providing service. Therefore… It can include hospitals, health and medical services involving composite contracts with the provision of service also including supply of goods with medical service. And the definition takes within its fold such services also and therefore, the respondent state was justified in proposing demand for tax…'
India Today
11 hours ago
- India Today
How old is too old for IVF treatment?
In an age where career goals, late weddings, and medical progress have extended the limits of parenthood, the query "How old is too old for IVF?" is more pertinent than ever. For most couples facing infertility, IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is a second chance to conceive. But even science has its limitations—and so does the DOES THE LAW SAY IN INDIA?Under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act enacted in India, the legal cut-off age for women to undergo IVF is 50 years and for men is 55 years. The age limit mainly exists to protect the child's health and ensure that the parents are physically fit to raise them. The aim is obvious: to prevent circumstances in which a child may be left orphaned in early years of life because the parents are old and have grown very ROLE OF SELF EGGS VS. DONOR EGGSIVF is legally allowed up to 50, the success rate for conception using a woman's own eggs diminishes considerably after 40, and by 41 or 42 years of age, utilization of self-eggs is very rare. Most fertility doctors strongly advise that IVF using self-eggs be done at or before age 41 in order to enhance the likelihood of success. Beyond that point, the eggs' quality and quantity are lost at a very rapid rate, causing fertility to plummet and increasing the risk of genetic abnormalities. This is where donor eggs enter the picture. Women over 42—particularly those close to 50—usually need donor eggs in order to conceive. Donor eggs are commonly obtained from younger, healthier women, thus raising the chances of a healthy and successful RATES AND MEDICAL REALITIESAge is a major factor in IVF success. Using self-eggs:Under 35 years: The success rate is around 50-60% per embryo transfer38–40 years: Falls to around 40%Over 42 years: Below 3% with their own eggsWith donor eggs, though, the success rate is more dependent on the donor's age, rather than the recipient. That's why so many women in their late 40s can still have a healthy pregnancy—if they use donor 47, Delhi "After trying for years and facing several miscarriages, I opted for IVF with donor eggs at age 46. Today, I have twin boys who are 3 months old. I was skeptical at first, but my doctor explained every step, and now I can't imagine life without them."I wanted to try with my own eggs, but after two failed cycles, I switched to donor eggs. It wasn't an easy decision emotionally, but the moment I held my daughter, I knew it was the right one. IVF gave us our miracle." says Meenal , 40 years. Emotional and Ethical ConsiderationsadvertisementTo decide on IVF in your 40s or approaching 50 is not merely a medical choice—it's an emotional and ethical one as well. The law's age limit of 50 is set so that potential parents are mentally, physically, and emotionally equipped with the capability of bringing up the child to how old is too old for IVF? Medically speaking, self-egg IVF is best done before 40. Legally and ethically, India allows IVF until age 50—with donor gametes when necessary. If you're considering IVF later in life, it's essential to consult a fertility specialist early, explore all your options, and plan responsibly—for both your well-being and the future of your by Fertility Specialist Dr. Jyoti Bali, Founder, BabySoon Fertility & IVF Clinic- EndsMust Watch
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Estranged Mumbai couple wage a legal battle over 16 frozen embryos
Sixteen frozen embryos are at the centre of a unique custodial battle in Mumbai that raises key legal and ethical questions. Estranged Mumbai couple wage a legal battle over 16 frozen embryos In 2022, a couple from south Mumbai who were married the previous year decided to freeze embryos grown from the man's sperm and the woman's eggs. But in 2023, their marriage soured. Now, the legal battle over the embryos has reached the Bombay High Court. The woman wishes to have a child, and wants the fertility clinic currently storing them to transfer them to another clinic . Her husband has allegedly blocked the transfer. The 46-year-old woman is now before the Bombay High Court urging it to direct the concerned authorities to allow her to proceed with the transfer of her cryopreserved embryos to another clinic without the consent of her estranged husband. 'In matters so intrinsically tied to the woman's body, health and identity, the law must recognise the primacy of her informed and enduring will over procedural hurdles grounded in outdated patriarchal notions of spousal dominion,' her petition says. In her petition filed through lawyer Jamshed Mistry, the woman contended that a provision under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) (ART) Act, 2021 that requires the consent of both spouses for transfer of the embryos, needs to make an exception for marital abandonment, separation and irretrievable breakdown of marriage. On Thursday, a division bench of Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Neela Gokhale issued notices to respondents including the husband, the clinic and the National ART and Surrogacy Board in and adjourned the case till August 21. The petitioner also argued that while the ART Act allows single women to avail assisted reproductive services, it imposes 'rigid barriers' on married women deserted by their husbands. The couple married in October 2021 when the woman was 42 and her husband was 46. On January 22, 2022, they signed a joint consent form for freezing of embryos -- comprising the woman's eggs and the man's sperm -- at an IVF clinic in Kemp's Corner. They also agreed to pay an annual storage fee of ₹25,000 for the cryopreservation of the embryos. In November, 2022, the woman was found to have multiple uterine fibroids and was advised to undergo a myomectomy to remove the fibroids. In December, 2022, the woman wrote to the clinic in Kemp's Corner asking them to transfer her 16 preserved embryos to another clinic at Colaba. 'She felt more comfortable there,' her lawyer told HT. But caught up in a range of procedures, the woman did not follow up. Around the same time, the couple's relationship soured and the woman's husband allegedly deserted her on August 6, 2023. She initiated proceedings against him under the Domestic Violence Act before a magistrate. On August 9, 2023, the woman was informed by the clinic storing her embryos that her husband had, through an email, asked the clinic to put a hold on all procedures regarding the embryos. The woman claims the clinic at Kemp's Corner referenced Section 29 of the ART Act and said that consent of both the genetic contributors would be required to allow the transfer of embryos. The woman, who still needed a myomectomy, underwent the procedure in February 2024 at Breach Candy Hospital. She says she sought a written assurance from her doctors that four-five months after the myomectomy would be a good time to implant the embryos in her womb. During a mediation in their domestic violence case before a magistrate court in Mazgaon in December 2024, the woman alleged her husband demanded ₹25 lakh to allow the embryo transfer. On May 29 this year, she filed an FIR at Nagpada police station against her husband for threats, endangerment to her bodily integrity, reproductive rights and conspiracy to obstruct her medically sanctioned fertility procedure. The case is pending before the magistrate's court. No action has been taken on the FIR yet. The woman filed a petition before the Bombay high court earlier this month. The woman contended before the high court that the mandatory spousal consent required under the ART Act needs a rethink in case of marital abandonment. She stated that a woman physically and emotionally prepared for motherhood is being denied that experience by her estranged husband by his unilateral withdrawal of consent. 'Such a rigid and literal interpretation of statutory consent requirements reduces a woman's autonomy to the wilful inertia of an absconding spouse,' her petition stated. Amit Karkhanis, a lawyer who specialises in medico-legal cases, said that there is no precedent in the law for such cases but the woman may have some remedies. 'The clinic is right to ask for the consent of the husband because the genetic material with them belongs to both parties. There is an option to file an application before the family court. The woman can state before the court that her husband is refusing to give consent for transfer or embryos. If he does not come before the court, the court may even give an ex-parte order in her favour,' said Karkhanis. He said if she gets a divorce, she can get a sperm donor and create new embryos too.
