Abortion is beheld just as a family planning and maternal health issue. It should be viewed as a sexual health and reproductive rights issue. Critically Analyse. (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 3 years
KEY POINTS
· The acceptance of abortion in Indian society is situated in the context of population control and family planning. Women are not free to decide on the issue.
Why Abortion is not a reproductive right of women?
· MTP Act legalises abortion it does not recognise abortion as a choice, they need the approval of medical professionals even in the first few weeks of the pregnancy.
· Health-care providers may impose their own morality by insisting on ‘husbands’ or ‘parental’ consent for abortion.
· Many are still coerced into agreeing to a permanent or long-term contraceptive method as a prerequisite for getting abortion services.
· Unmarried and transgender people continue to face stigma. They turn away from health facilities, forcing them to resort to unsafe care.
· Mandatory reporting requirements under POCSO law 2011, impact privacy and hinder access of adolescents to safe abortion services
· In many cases women are not be aware that abortion is legal. They don’t know where to obtain one safely.
· Despite laws prohibiting sex determination, the illegal practice persists.
How it affects sexual health of women?
· All these hinders women and transgender persons from accessing safe abortion care.
· Hence risky abortions are performed by untrained people under unhygienic conditions using damaging methods such as insertion of objects, ingestion of various substances, abdominal pressure, etc.
· In India abortions account for 10% of maternal deaths.
· As per National Family Health Survey 2019-2021 3% of all pregnancies in India result in abortion. More than a quarter of abortions (27%) are performed by the woman herself at home.
· As per Lancet 73% of all abortions in India were medication abortions. Though it is safe many of these are illegal as per the MTP Act, if they occur without the approval of a registered medical practitioner.
· There is an urgent need in our country to shift the discourse on abortions from just being a family planning and maternal health issue to one of a sexual health and reproductive rights issue.
Rekha 3 years
Kindly review sir/ mam
IAS Parliament 3 years
Good Attempt. Points on measures taken to prevent unsafe abortion is good. Try to add points to justify that abortion is not a reproductive right now.. Keep writing.
Rekha 3 years
