Haryana Steps Up Action Against Illegal Abortions; Sex Ratio Improves to 904
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, July 8, 2025 –
In a determined push to improve the sex ratio and eliminate illegal abortion practices, Haryana's Health Department has directed all Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) to reverse track abortions conducted up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The move aims to identify and penalize those involved in unlawful medical terminations.
The instructions were issued during the weekly meeting of the State Task Force (STF) for Improving Sex Ratio, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Sudhir Rajpal. The meeting was held under the guidance of Health Minister Arti Singh Rao.
Highlighting recent progress, officials informed that Haryana’s sex ratio has improved to 904 girls per 1,000 boys as of July 7, 2025—up from 903 during the same period last year.
The ACS emphasized strict enforcement against illegal abortions and directed that licenses of doctors involved in such activities be revoked immediately. In one such case, two nursing homes in Nuh district were sealed for conducting unauthorised abortions. CMOs have also been instructed to take action against BAMS doctors and quacks involved in illegal terminations and submit weekly progress reports.
To further strengthen the initiative, the department is collaborating with ASHA and Anganwadi workers to identify and register unregistered children, especially in underserved areas like Palwal, Nuh, Gurugram, and Faridabad. The target is to complete all pending registrations within a month.
Rajpal also ordered the reverse tracking of abortions performed up to 24 weeks, using an established protocol to trace the medical professionals responsible and initiate disciplinary action in case of violations.
The task force further decided to regulate IVF procedures by mandating that couples with one or two living female children must obtain prior approval from the District Appropriate Authority before seeking IVF treatment.
Officials also reported the closure of approximately 500 illegal Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) centres across the state in recent months, contributing to a notable dip in legal MTP procedures.
The Women and Child Development Department shared that public awareness efforts under the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign are being actively conducted in parks and public areas, with support from telecom companies to send mobile alerts promoting the initiative.
The meeting was attended by Health Secretary and NHM Mission Director Rippudaman Singh Dhillon and other senior officials from related departments.