Prenatal Diagnosis: Where Do We Draw the Line?

Feminists in India have been concerned about the declining sex ratio in the country. The Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 1994 or PNDT Act, which outlaws sex-selective abortions, has been welcomed by feminists, even though they remain concerned with bottlenecks in its implementation. A relatively unnoticed but critical issue, however, is the possibly unwitting legitimisation of the abortion of potentially disabled children. This article endeavours to question the ideology that regards abortion as the only option when prenatal testing reveals a birth abnormality, an option sanctioned by the PNDT Act. We contend that disability is, to a great extent, socially constructed: its conceptualisation reflects societal attitudes that view the lives of disabled people as tragic, worthless and a burden. The article recognises the tension between the feminist and disability activists around the issue of women's choice. These issues are discussed through the voices of the mothers of both non-disabled and disabled children in Delhi. We contend that: (a) the concept of individual choice, which is reified through the PNDT Act, is socially constructed and contextually located, and (b) while a pro-choice perspective is important to feminists, the thoughtless use of prenatal testing could reduce, rather than expand, women's choices.