Question- Under what circumstances can prenatal diagnostic techniques be used and when not?

Answer -

Antenatal diagnostic techniques may be used under the following conditions:

1. Any place including a registered genetics counselling centre or genetics laboratory or genetics clinic, by any person, for the purposes specified in clause (2) and shall not be used or made to be used for carrying out prenatal diagnostic-technological procedures, except after fulfilling anything specified in clause (3).

2. No prenatal diagnostic techniques or techniques shall be used except for the purposes of the detection of any of the following abnormalities :
   (i) chromosomal abnormalities;
   (ii) genetics metabolic disease ;
   (iii) hemoglobin abnormalities;
   (iv) gender linked genetic diseases ;
   (v) congenital anomalies;
   (vi) any such abnormalities or diseases as may be specified by the Central Board of Supervision.

3. Any prenatal diagnostic technique shall be used or operated only when a person qualified to do so, for reasons to be recorded in writing, satisfies that any of the following conditions, namely :-
   (i) the pregnant woman is more than thirty-five years of age;
   (ii) the pregnant woman has had two or more spontaneous abortions or fetal loss;
   (iii) the pregnant woman has been affected by potential pathogens, such as drugs, radiations, infections or chemicals;
   (iv) There is a family history of mental retardation or physical deformity such as erectile dysfunction or any other genetic disease in the family of the pregnant woman or her husband.

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