Plaster mouth

'Plaster mouth' is the name I have probably acquired in my line of work, for upholding the law of the land. My line of work being, diagnostic radiology and the law I upheld, being the PNDT (The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act. I quite deserved that name, as I am yet to reveal the sex of a child antenatally, after practicing for close to 7 years (PG period included). The latest people with grouse against me are none other than my sister and mom and it is them who have called me that. She is a couple of weeks from her EDD and I am yet to reveal the sex of her kid, in spite of all kinds of threats from her. I think I would continue to hold on the info from her

Funny inquiries and encounters keep coming during day to day practice, especially from the moms of the pregnant ladies or from the ladies themselves. Most common being the pair of six decade old eyes trying to squeeze out any kind of picture from the ultrasound monitors, breathing behind your neck( literally); I , for one being a person, who hates being watched/ monitored or whatever. On most occasions, I have tried to be polite and as them what they were doing, only for them to tell me worriedly that they are not able to identify anything (I always wonder, if they expected the photographs of babies to come out!


A lot of inquiries come with a sheepish smile, regarding the sex of the baby.
And most of them, without fail say that they only want a female baby (which I most of the time, presume, is not true)

Another funny inquiry was when the pregnant lady asked me, if it was a "paappa". I hid my smile while scanning and then told her everyone has a paappa inside, she told me that she meant a baby girl ; I had to ask her what she would call a baby boy- she nonchalantly told it would be a thumb. She pleaded to know that if it was a paappa , so that she could get all the scolding from her mom in law, sooner than later( as she already has a "paapa". She was one lady, whom I wished I could answer her query; still I made sure I didn't break the law.


The irony of all this being the fact that, I am not in favor of the law in individual (non professional) capacity. When the couple have the right to decide to have a child, plan the time for a child, to know whether the baby is normal and responsibility to take care of the child both inside and outside the womb, I wonder why the hell , they are not entitled to know the sex of the baby. I am sure not everyone is going to go to a doctor, asking for an abortion. I have always thought that, if someone is not willing to have a female child, it's because they cannot afford to bring them up properly. And moreover, the reluctance, that is associated with bringing up a female kid, is that financial burden associated with the matrimony. The government instead of trying to slay the demon that dowry is, instead is trying to tackle the problem, with small steps, which don't exactly render a solution.


Bringing up of male and female kids cost the same; it’s only the marriage part that lets everyone see, girls as a liability. If government or the people themselves address that issue, there is no difference between a male and a female child. Hence it would matter little, if it's a girl / boy and the need for prohibition of prenatal sex determination will entirely go. But alas there will be a group of sonologists, who would be dead against this; as I hear they make a killing (pun intended), revealing the sex of the child. And also radiologists like me need not have to be "plaster mouths"