In India, why are the benefits of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) available to only a limited number of people?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → These techniques require very high precision handling by specialised professionals and expensive instruments.
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as IVF, ZIFT, GIFT, ICSI and artificial insemination, help infertile couples have children. They need extremely high precision handling by specialised professionals and expensive instruments. So in India they are available in only a very few centres, and only a limited number of people can afford them.
Option (1) Our laws do not permit these techniques in India. — Incorrect. NCERT does not speak of any legal bar on these techniques. It names emotional, religious and social factors as deterrents, and the real limit is the cost and the very few centres.
Option (2) These techniques can correct infertility due to very low sperm counts but not infertility in the female partner. — Incorrect. ART can help in both cases. Artificial insemination corrects very low sperm counts, while IVF, ZIFT and GIFT help females who cannot conceive or cannot produce an ovum.
Option (3) The embryos formed in the laboratory cannot complete their further development in the female body. — Incorrect. Embryos formed in the laboratory are transferred into the fallopian tube or uterus to complete their further development there.
Option (4) These techniques require very high precision handling by specialised professionals and expensive instruments. — Correct. The need for specialised professionals and expensive instruments limits these facilities to very few centres. This is why the benefits reach only a limited number of people.
NCERT Extract:
Infertility – “Though options are many, all these techniques require extremely high precision handling by specialised professionals and expensive instrumentation. Therefore, these facilities are presently available only in very few centres in the country. Obviously their benefits is affordable to only a limited number of people. Emotional, religious and social factors are also deterrents in the adoption of these methods.”