Haryana to probe all abortions of more than 12-week pregnancies

The Haryana Director General of Health Services issued a directive Tuesday, instructing all civil surgeons to maintain records of abortions beyond 12 weeks and conduct thorough investigations to verify compliance with legal provisions. The directive is part of preparations for a video conference scheduled Wednesday, to be chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal, where officials will discuss efforts to combat illegal pre-natal sex determination and abortions.

A senior official involved in the ongoing crackdown stated that investigations aim to assess whether abortions were legally and medically justified. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, abortions up to 20 weeks require approval from one doctor. Between 20 and 24 weeks, opinions from two doctors are required, with terminations permitted only for specific categories, including survivors of sexual assault and women with physical disabilities. “There are concerns that some of these abortions could be driven by the desire for gender selection. Hence we have ordered an investigation by CMOs of such abortions in their respective districts,” said Sudhir Rajpal.

A Special Task Force (STF) recently uncovered widespread use of illegally procured MTP kits from Goa, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, used by couples seeking sex-selective abortions despite strict bans.

To curb such practices, authorities will assign Asha or Anganwadi workers as “Saheli” (female companions) to counsel pregnant women with one or more female children. The Haryana government has identified 62,000 such women and is urging them to avoid illegal gender determination tests, which are punishable offenses.
Health authorities are also targeting illegal abortions performed by BAMS and BHMS doctors, particularly female practitioners. Civil surgeons have been directed to maintain a list of such doctors engaged in private practice.

In the video conference, the officials will also discuss decoy operations aimed at enforcing the MTP Act, the PNDT Act (which bans sex determination) and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act

Between May 6 and May 12, Haryana authorities conducted 19 raids had been conducted across the state over the illegal sale of MTP kits and registered 17 FIRs were registered. In addition, 13 shops had been sealed for illegal practices and 145 MTP kits were seized.

After the formation of the State Task Force (STF), 43 FIRs have been registered, 21 shops have been sealed and 6,200 MTP kits have been seized in Haryana.

In Panipat, a traditional birth attendant (Dai) sold an MTP kit for Rs 2,000, leading authorities to seize the kit along with additional medicines. Legal action was initiated under the MTP Act. Meanwhile, in Rohtak, a chemist shop was raided after a salesman sold an MTP kit for Rs 1,000—officials confiscated 18 kits, and the shop was sealed. In Manesar, a chemist was booked for supplying an MTP kit illegally, adding to the growing crackdown on unauthorized abortion procedures. In Panchkula, a woman was admitted to a civil hospital in critical condition after taking abortion pills provided by a quack known as “Bengali Baba”, prompting immediate police intervention.