AKANKSHA KHULLAR
OCT 10 2022
On 29 September, in response to the case of a 25-year-old unmarried woman—whose plea to terminate her pregnancy in the 24th week was turned down by the Delhi High Court—the Supreme Court (SC) of India ruled that all women, regardless of their marital status can obtain abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies. The apex court stated that the decision to carry the pregnancy or terminate it was firmly rooted in a woman’s right to her bodily autonomy and to choose the course of her own life where the artificial distinction between married and unmarried women cannot be sustained.
The change in the law has been hailed by many women and reproductive rights activists, who believe that the court’s judgement no longer discriminates and instead, expands the right to safe and legal abortions to every single woman, thereby, affecting the lives of millions in the coming years. But given the fact that abortion rights have not always been so free in India, the SC’s recent order begs the question as to how the expansion of existing acts and rules—in reality—will contribute towards the longstanding fight for reproductive and bodily autonomy of Indian women.
Continued: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/amended-abortion-rights-in-india/