Changing India’s abortion law to extend the timeframe within which a woman can have an abortion is not a step the Centre is willing to take, the Supreme Court has been informed. A blanket extension for the twenty-week window in which an abortion may be performed cannot be justified because of the right to life […]
abortion
Abortion law reform in progress: Centre to HC
The Centre has informed the Madras High Court that a note has again been sent to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice, proposing a change to India’s abortion law. Last week, it was reported that the Centre was exploring extending the period during a woman’s pregnancy that they could undergo an abortion to between […]
A change in the abortion law?
Could India’s abortion law soon change? Steps may be taken towards amending the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, as the Centre has informed the Delhi High Court it is consulting with ministries on the same. Social activist Amit Sahni filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the High Court earlier this year, seeking that […]
The district highlighting India’s sex ratio problem
A district in Uttarakhand reflects a broader issue concerning India’s sex ratio, according to a recent report in The Times of India. In 132 of the Uttarkashi district’s villages, not a single girl was born in three months out of 216 deliveries. The concerning figures, collected from the state health department, potentially cast a spotlight […]
Sex-selective abortion in India: It’s worse than you think
At the age of 28, Madhuri had three daughters and no son. With a dream to have a son and to fulfil her family’s demands, she became pregnant again. But this time she couldn’t take any chance and illegally undertook a sex determination test. As soon as she was told that it is a girl, […]
The high death toll of gender discrimination
Gender discrimination and missing women The price of gender discrimination in India is the lives of almost 240,000 girls under five every year. Much attention is given in India to the issue of female foeticide. Sex-selective abortions are considered the major driver of India’s skewed sex ratio at birth (SRB) and its resultant 63 million […]
Reducing maternal mortality through access to contraception
India’s annual maternal mortality rate (MMR) is 45,000 deaths every year. This equates to 5 deaths every hour. One way of reducing the number of deaths is better access to contraception. India’s MMR fell from 212 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2007-09 to 167 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2011 and 2013 – […]
India’s abortion law: time for change?
Abortion is a divisive issue in India: socially, legally, morally and religiously. A number of incidents in recent years have sparked debate over whether or not it is time to revise the country’s abortion laws. In India, the 1971 Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act says “a pregnancy may be terminated…[if an] opinion is formed, in […]
Sex determination ban in India and freedom of speech
![Sex ratio at birth. Sex determination ban in India to prevent imbalanced sex ratio. By Melanurya (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i1.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Sex_determination_ban.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Sex determination ban in India and freedom of speech")
A Supreme Court ruling says internet search engines should not be stopped from showing content about prenatal sex determination, only ads. The ruling suggests efforts to restrict prenatal sex determination in order to stymie female foeticide in India are going too far and becoming too intrusive. The ruling comes amidst the continuing and long-standing controversy […]
Donald Trump: A threat to women’s health in India?
Donald Trump’s stance on abortion could pose a challenge for women’s healthcare in India. The 45th U.S. President revived the Mexico City policy within days of taking office in January. Also known as the “global gag rule”, the Mexico City Policy prevents the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from funding international non-government organisations […]