Coerced pregnancies and forceful state oversight of termination benefit neither the pregnant person nor the child
Written by Rohin Bhatt
February 5, 2024
For a long time, Indians have prided themselves on a “liberal abortion regime”. In 2022, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani wrote in The Indian Express (‘West steps back, India shows way’, June 27), “It is a liberal achievement over countries where abortions are disallowed since conception, even in the most traumatising of circumstances of sexual abuse or incest… Not only is the government making a concerted effort for reproductive choices to be easier on the pockets of women, it is also promoting safe motherhood through institutional deliveries under Janani Suraksha Yojana and quality, respectful care in labour rooms during deliveries under schemes like LaQshya.”
But do the government and courts walk the talk when issues of abortion come up? A recent look at the decisions of the Supreme Court and high courts would suggest — the answer is no.
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