Amended Abortion Law Still Gives Doctors, Not Women, The Final Say

The amended abortion law has allowed termination of pregnancy up to 24 weeks but with a medical board's approval. Abortion is still not available on demand and a woman's agency is not recognised

By Akshita Nagpal
27 April, 2021

New Delhi: The terms for abortion have been liberalised in India after an amended law received the President's assent on March 25, 2021. But gender and reproductive rights activists are disappointed that the law still does not recognise abortion as a woman's choice that can be sought on-demand, as is the practice in 73 countries.

These are the key changes that the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP Amendment) Act, 2021, has brought in:

Continued: https://www.indiaspend.com/gendercheck/amended-abortion-law-still-gives-doctors-not-women-the-final-say-744747


India – Parliament passes bill to increase upper limit for abortions: Why access to safe abortion is essential?

At present, women seeking abortion require mandatory opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.

By: Longjam Dineshwori  
Updated: March 17, 2021

The Parliament has finally passed The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which increases the upper limit for abortions from 20 to 24 weeks for certain categories of women, and removes limits in the case of substantial foetal abnormalities. The bill was passed on Tuesday with the Rajya Sabha approving the chances, despite majority of the opposition members demanding that the bill should be sent to select committee as it lacks privacy clause. However, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed the Parliament that nobody opposed the bill and once enacted, it will reduce the trauma and suffering of women. Mention may be made that the Lok Sabha had passed the bill in March last year.

Continued: https://www.thehealthsite.com/pregnancy/parliament-passes-bill-to-increase-upper-limit-for-abortions-heres-why-women-need-access-to-safe-abortion-802006/


Rajya Sabha nod to Bill on abortion till 24 weeks in special cases

Law after minor UT girl delivered baby in 2017

Mar 17, 2021
Tribune News

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to raise the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 for minors and victims of rape and incest.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was passed by voice vote after rejecting a resolution moved by Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa to refer the Bill to a Parliament committee. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill in March last year.

Continued: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/rs-nod-to-bill-on-abortion-till-24-wks-in-special-cases-226332


Medical Boards under MTP Bill will make Abortion Inaccessible

Parvathi Sajiv
FEBRUARY 4, 2021

The Rajya Sabha will soon debate The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The Bill highlights a few changes, including the setting up of a Medical Board to decide on the abortion of pregnancies beyond 24 weeks due to foetal abnormalities. The Medical Board isn’t feasible in India’s current situation and may push accessibility to abortions further away reports PARVATHI SAJIV.

THE Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (‘MTP Amendment Bill’) was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in March 2020. The Bill is likely to be brought in the Rajya Sabha in the ongoing budget session, and it still has a few framework issues.

Continued: https://www.theleaflet.in/medical-boards-under-mtp-bill-will-make-abortion-inaccessible/#


India – The MTP Bill Would Put Doctor Panels in Charge of Approving Late‑Stage Abortion; It’s Unfeasible and Unnecessary.

By Dipika Jain & Kavya Kartik
Feb 1, 2021

From 2015 to 2019 in Assam, 51,000 women sought treatment for complications arising from unsafe abortions. In Madhya Pradesh, 36 women died in 2018 and 56 women died in 2019 from unsafe abortions. As recently as January 2021, a 15-year-old girl died from pregnancy-related complications in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, after being denied permission to abort. A 2019 study analysing a sample of 1.8 million women from nine states found that two-thirds of abortions in India are unsafe. Despite being completely preventable, unsafe abortion continues to be the third leading cause of maternal deaths in the country. The legal framework on abortion in India, along with the dismal investment in public health care, act as major barriers to safe abortion access and prevent pregnant persons from getting the health care services they need.

Continued:  https://theswaddle.com/the-mtp-bill-would-put-doctor-panels-in-charge-of-approving-late-stage-abortion-its-unfeasible-and-unnecessary/


India – Medical board on abortion ‘unfeasible’, says study

82% of obstetrics-gynaecology, paediatric and other specialist posts vacant

Jagriti Chandra
JANUARY 31, 2021

A panel of doctors to decide on termination of pregnancy beyond 24 weeks as proposed in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020, is “unfeasible” as 82% of these posts are lying vacant in the country, finds a new study.

The MTP Bill was passed in Lok Sabha in March 2020, and is likely to be brought before Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session.

Continued: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/medical-board-on-abortion-unfeasible-says-study/article33711124.ece


India – For a more progressive abortion law

V S Chandrashekar
Sep 19 2020

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill 2020 is due to be discussed in an upcoming Rajya Sabha session. This is the second time, in its 49 years of existence, that the MTP Act will be amended. While introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, the Health Minister highlighted the government’s intent to improve access to safe, affordable and legal abortion services for women without compromising on safety, quality of care and more importantly to ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate their pregnancies.

The Amendment Bill proposes some welcome changes-- it replaces the phrase “married woman and her husband” with “woman and her partner”; increases the upper gestation limit to 20-24 weeks for “certain categories of women”; reduces opinion required for termination of pregnancy between the 12th and 20th week of gestation from two providers to one and removes upper gestation limit for foetal abnormalities ‘necessitated by the diagnosis of a Medical Board.”

Continued: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/for-a-more-progressive-abortion-law-889672.html


Why Changes To India’s 50-Year-Old Abortion Law Fail Its Women

After decades of advocacy, it took the Lok Sabha only 15 days—without adequate consultation with those involved—to clear amendments to India’s abortion laws. Instead of making abortion easier for women who need it, such as rape survivors, the changes only make it more difficult.

Sept 6, 2020
SWETA DASH

New Delhi: In 2019, a 13-year-old rape survivor in Madhya Pradesh found out she was pregnant and in her 24th week. With the help of Nikita Sonawane, a lawyer associated with the Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project (CPAProject), an advocacy, she approached the High Court in June 2019. The court allowed her to go ahead with the termination of pregnancy—but only six weeks later, by which time she already  reached her 30th week.

“The doctors had to induce delivery. She was in labour for 24 hours,” said Sonawane. Her lawyers pleaded for mental-health support but the biggest government hospital in Madhya Pradesh did not have a child psychologist. "Finally, a psychiatrist was arranged, said Sonavane. "It was an immensely harrowing experience for her.”

Continued: https://www.article-14.com/post/why-changes-to-india-s-50-year-old-abortion-law-fail-its-women


Abortion And The Law In India

Abortion And The Law In India

Sangram Chinnappa & Abeera Dubey
10 Jun 2020

On 22nd May 2020, out of barely 30 cases enlisted on the daily board of Bombay High Court, 4 cases were for medical termination of pregnancy. One such case was of a 13-year old minor girl who was 22-weeks pregnant. The petition was filed through the girl's mother, a pavement dweller living in Thane. The girl in the case is a survivor of heinous rape alleged to have been committed by her own father. It has been reported that the father used to regularly abuse the girl, she then moved to south Mumbai to live with her aunt and stayed with her during the lockdown.

On 14th May, the girl told her aunt about the assault, after which she fell ill and was taken to the hospital. She was later diagnosed to be 22 weeks pregnant. When she went with her aunt to file the FIR at Crawford Police Station they wrongly refused to lodge her complaint and directed her to go to Thane Police Station. This was not an easy task as the entire country was in lockdown due to COVID-19. After they finally managed to lodged the FIR at the Thane Police Station under various sections of IPC and POCSO she was taken to taken to a JJ Hospital for an abortion. As she was already beyond the 20 week limit stipulated in the law, her family was informed that their only recourse was to get a judicial order from the High Court. The family which has a tough time making ends meet and without any source of income due to the Pandemic were made to run from pillar to post to find a lawyer who could help them out pro bono as they could never afford the fees for filing a Writ Petition in the High Court.

Continued: https://www.livelaw.in/columns/abortion-and-the-law-in-india-158149


Select CITYWALK promotes ‘SheDecides India’ global movement

Select CITYWALK promotes 'SheDecides India' global movement

Mar 06, 2018

New Delhi [India], Mar. 6 (ANI-NewsVoir): The very first national movement of SheDecides, SheDecides India, a global movement, was officially launched at Select CITYWALK in the presence of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Dr. Jaideep Malhotra, President, FOGSCI, Kamla Bhasin, Human Rights Activist, Robin Gorna, Global Co-Lead, SheDecides among many other social activists.

On this occasion Arjun Sharma, Chairman, Select CITYWALK said, "We at Select CITYWALK truly support this greatest cause to promote fundamental rights of adolescent girls and women, their lives and their future. Being a working place led by equal number of women employees we support and salute the power of women and always stands to protect their rights. We were honoured to host the India launch of SheDecides India."

Continued: https://www.aninews.in/news/business/business/select-citywalk-promotes-shedecides-india-global-movement201803061842550002/