Haryana’s mandatory pregnancy registration raises privacy concerns

• The Haryana Health Department has ordered mandatory registration of all pregnant women during their first trimester.
• The order aims to achieve 100% registration, an improvement from the current 50-80% registration rates across various districts.
• Ultrasound centers must register pregnant women before conducting examinations, with noncompliance resulting in a notice.
• Women must provide personal details on the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal to register.
• The registration is intended to enable better monitoring and reporting of RMNCH programmes, making women eligible for benefits under various schemes.
• The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, lauded the initiative but criticized it as contradicting the existing Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
• Experts have criticized the order, arguing it was issued in haste and without considering its implications and implementation.
• Gynaecologist Jyoti Yadav advocated for pregnant women’s right to privacy as guaranteed under the MTP Act.
• DGHS Manish Bansal stated the sole objective of the order is to ensure the registration of all pregnant women during the first trimester for monitoring their health.
• The order aims to promote the health of pregnant women and children, prevent illegal abortions by monitoring pregnancies, and address the skewed sex ratio.