Radiologists in India oppose a state government's scheme to put devices in ultrasound scanners to make sure they aren't helping mothers get rid of unwanted girls, according to a report by the Hindustan Times last week.

The newspaper quoted Dr. Kishore Taori, chairman of the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association, saying the devices would compromise patients' privacy. The association also wants the government to buy the expensive machines for radiologists, which cost about 40,000 rupees a piece ($855), the paper said.

Taori said he supported stamping out the "social evil" of sex-selective abortions, but said before snooping on radiologists, the government should crack down on unregistered ultrasound units, according to the paper. He estimated half of the nation's 50,000 units were unregistered.

The pilot program launched three months ago in Kolhapur, a town in the western state of Maharashtra.

The device installed in sonography units transmits images and patient data to a central server. Administrators then check up to see if the pregnancy was later continued, with closer monitoring of women known to have had girls in the past, as they might pose a greater risk, the Times said.

India has a lopsided sex ratio. The 2001 census revealed there were only 946 females for every 1,000 males, with 35 million fewer women and girls than boys and men, according to a recent article in The Hindu.

Many activists blame this on sex-selective abortions. Although sex determination tests have been illegal countrywide since 1994, the practice is believed to be widespread, according to The Hindu.

"It was a girl and the doctor asked what we wanted to do. We wanted to abort it. We paid 1,200 rupees and got it over with. What would we have done with another girl?" a Kangra woman told the paper.

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