Q.Amniocentesis, the foetal sex determination test, is banned in our country, Is it necessary? comment.

Step 1. Amniocentesis was developed as a genuine prenatal diagnostic technique to detect chromosomal abnormalities in the foetus, not primarily to reveal sex.

Step 2. In a society with strong son-preference, revealing the foetus's sex through amniocentesis has been widely misused to selectively abort female foetuses, contributing to a measurably declining child sex ratio (927 to 919 females per 1000 males over a decade, as cited in the chapter).

Step 3. Because the harm from this misuse (large-scale female foeticide, deepening gender imbalance) outweighs the convenience of using amniocentesis for sex determination, the statutory ban — reinforced by the PCPNDT Act, 1994 — is a necessary and justified social protection, not a restriction on genuine medical care. …

Weigh the technique's legitimate medical benefit against the documented social harm (female foeticide, skewe …

• Arguing the ban is unnecessary without acknowledging the real, documented decline in child sex ratio linked to its misuse. …