Amdavadis upbeat about equal abortion rights

The

health ministry

has recommended recognising ‘failure of contraceptive’ and ‘unplanned pregnancy’ as lawful reasons for abortion among all women, married or otherwise. At present, the law recognizses these reasons for married women only. If implemented, it is a move that will make it easier for single women to safely and legally terminate unwanted pregnancies. The proposal is likely to be taken up by the Cabinet soon after the ongoing

Parliament

session ends. AT takes a look…

Existing system
Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, there are four grounds based on which abortion can be done, contraceptive failure, danger to maternal health, rape or incest and any abnormality in the baby. “A single woman as well as a married woman can get her child aborted on any of these grounds. In case of a single woman we have to be stricter with the background check to ensure that sexual assault is not overlooked. A lot of people lie about their marital status to escape attention,” says Nidhi Patel Joshi, a gynecologist at a government hospital. She adds that while the society may frown upon a single woman who comes for abortion, for doctors what matters is her health and that she does not use unsafe, unhygienic methods. “India is lagging behind when it comes to maternal mortality rate and an amendment to the law to make abortion rights equal for all women is a good move,” she adds.

Addressing a tabooThis move is is a step forward in acknowledging the growing reality of sexually active single women in the country. Pregnant single women are still shamed, sometimes to the extent of ostracization, in India. “Pre-marital sex is still a taboo in our Indian society which is culturally conservative. But it is slowly opening up and such a move will help in meeting the challenges of patriarchy,” says Mandakini V Jha, an associate professor of sociology. Nidhi adds, “I work with patients from low socio-economic class and even they are well aware of the options available. This opening up and increasing awareness is good to prevent women from resorting to unsafe means, putting their lives in danger.”

A sign of reliefThis is a progressive move that will give women a safe and legal option to terminate unwanted pregnancies. “How can you differentiate the right to your own body based on marital status? Married or not, the grounds for abortion must be equal for all women,” says Aanal Bhatt, a psychology student. Bineka Sadhnani, a master’s student of English literature, agrees. “If implemented this right can be very empowering but the next important step is for the society to accept it because educated people can be judgemental when it comes to these issues,” she says.

The bigger picture
While this move could be a welcome change to assert a woman’s right on her own body, there are things to be considered in the larger scheme of things. “A woman must have complete right over her body and abortion is a very important legal means to exercise this right. However there are two things that need to be done parallel to this, one is compulsory sex education across all states. Secondly, the skewed sex ratio must be kept in mind to ensure that this legal support is not misused to abort a girl child,” opines Gaurang Jani, a sociologist.

Jayaka Yagnik
"This could be a good decision if taken with an open mind as it will help prevent unintended pregnancies. However, this law should not be abused to kill a female child."

Deeksha Joshi
"Every woman, must have a say in aborting an unplanned pregnancy, whether she is married or single. Even if the law is implemented the male partner should be supportive. There needs to be a change in our thought process about single women who want to abort."