Mumbai: With newspaper headlines screaming from the top a couple with daughters seek a son, the controversy has come to light after a Mumbai-based couple petitioned the Bombay High Court to permit them to balance their family which already has two daughters.

While the Court has reserved its order for the time being, it's an informal comment by the Chief Justice contemplating the ill-effects of such a move that's re-ignited the nationwide debate.

The CNN-IBN show India 360 brought up the question: Should pre-natal sex determination tests be allowed?

On the panel to discuss the question was petitioners’ lawyer, Ratna Bhargavan, member, Vimochana, Donna Fernandes and senior gynaecologist, Dr Puneet Bedi.

Female Foetuses Terminated

The question was first thrown to Ratna Bhargaven and she was asked as to whether her clients asked for the rights to determine the sex of their unborn but conceived child or did they ask for the right to use medical techniques to select the sex of their child before conception?

Ratna Bhargavan said that her clients asked for the rights to sex determination before conception.

So was it the Constitutional right of the clients to go for sex determination before the conception of the child?

Donna Fernandes throwing light to the matter said that the law was very clear on the issue and it said that pre-conception or after conception the sex of the child was no to be disclosed as it is a violation for the law and was an offence.

So did not pre-natal sex determination tests reinforce the anti-girl child existing social status?