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/

17.03.2021

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020

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

17.03.2021

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020

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/#

04.02.2021

medical boards for abortion

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020

India – What is the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

By Briti Roy Barman
Tuesday, February 2, 2021

On January 29, 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

The Bill seeks to extend the termination of pregnancy period from 20 weeks to 24 weeks, making it easier for women to safely and legally terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.oneindia.com/india/explainer-what-is-the-medical-termination-of-pregnancy-amendment-bill-2020-3211039.html

02.02.2021

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020

Medical Termination Of Pregnancy (MTP) Act 1971

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

Abortion Options for Indian Women: Is the New MTP (Amendment) Bill, 2020 Better and Safer?

Deepika Singhania, MAKERS India
28 November 2020

Getting an abortion in India is not just about finding the right doctor who can perform the procedure in a safe manner and through legal methods, it’s also about dealing with the stigma and navigating the laws around it. Though we may be living in 2020, if an Indian woman seeks termination of pregnancy even today, she can not do so openly without judgment and people trying to change her mind.

Says 26-year-old Mithila (name changed), “When I got pregnant, my boyfriend and I couldn’t talk to our friends or family about it. So, we looked up a gynaecologist online. As expected, we got lectured about having sex before marriage and got asked the dreaded question – do your parents know?” The doctor refused to perform the termination and as luck would have it, they found a different doctor who turned out to be very supportive.

Continued: https://in.makers.yahoo.com/abortion-options-for-indian-women-is-the-new-mtp-amendment-bill-2020-better-and-safer-030017248.html

Abortion: Everything a Woman in India Needs to Know

Deepika Singhania
27 November 2020

Abortion. Even saying the word out loud in public might elicit a death stare or two.

This medical procedure has a horde of myths and misunderstandings surrounding it, almost a taboo for many women.

Continued: https://in.makers.yahoo.com/abortion-everything-a-woman-in-india-needs-to-know-030011821.html

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

06.09.2020