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.
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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.
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