Another Media Hit Job? AYUSH Ministry Says ‘No Sex During Pregnancy’ Reports Incorrect

The Ministry of AYUSH on Wednesday termed as incorrect the reports which claimed that the ministry had through one of its booklets advised pregnant women to control lust and shun non-vegetarian food to deliver a healthy baby.

In a statement, the AYUSH said, "Some reports have appeared in the print and electronic media since June 13, 2017 concerning the publication 'Mother and Child Care' of Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH. Unfortunately, many of these reports are seen to be inaccurate, and some are even seen to misrepresent facts."

The Ministry said that nowhere in the booklet has 'no sex' been mentioned.

"Some reports carry an assertion that the booklet puts forward the 'prescription' that 'pregnant women in India' should 'say no to sex'. This is far from the truth. In fact, the words 'no sex' do not feature at all in the booklet," it added.

The AYUSH statement said that the media paid selective attention to the suggestions on page 14 of the booklet. "The suggestion on page 14 of the booklet regarding avoiding certain types of food like tea, coffee, white flour products, fried and oily items and non-veg during pregnancy, is seen to have received selective attention. The suggestion that non-vegetarian food may be avoided (as Yoga don't advocate non-vegetarian food in its practice) has been singled out for high-lighting in some reports, omitting the mention of other items," it added.

The Ministry also refuted claims that the report that it was released by the Minister of State for AYUSH in the recent past and said that the booklet has been in distribution since 2013. The AYUSH said that the said booklet puts together relevant and useful information culled out from many years of clinical practice.

With inputs from ANI