Representation in the media can make or break the fight for safe abortions. Here’s how to do it right.
ANOUSHKA RAJESH
28 Sep 2022
“Where I am from, people don’t even say the word 'abortion'," says Meenakshi Saxena, who works with the Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India. She goes on to explain how instead they use 'MTP' as a verb.
MTP refers to the celebrated Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, the law that protects abortion rights in India.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2022
Fateh Guram, Aafreen Khan
India's Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021 guarantees access to safe and legal abortion services. The reality on the ground is much different.
Sunita is an
Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) from Katlupur village in the north Indian state of Haryana. As an ASHA worker, Sunita helps women in rural India access healthcare facilities and, among other services, abortion.
Continued: https://www.fairplanet.org/story/in-india-abortion-access-a-pipedream/
India's abortion law is progressive, but it is also problematic, says Dr. Suchitra Dalvie, a practicing gynecologist in Mumbai, India. The co-founder and coordinator of the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership unpacked the law and recent amendments to it with The World's reporter Chhavi Sachdev.
May 12, 2022
By Chhavi Sachdev
In India, abortion has been legal — within certain confines — for more than 50 years.
India's abortion law is progressive, but it is also problematic, says Dr. Suchitra Dalvie, a practicing gynecologist in Mumbai, India.
February 12, 2022
Debanjana Choudhuri, gender and climate justice specialist.
The spread of novel coronavirus has convulsed every aspect of life all over the world. With life coming to a standstill due to repeated lockdowns, the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of not only our society, but also of our healthcare system. India is one of the nations, which has been severely impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Crucial measures, such as imposition of lockdowns, were taken to contain the spread of the virus, however, the decreased mobility also resulted in higher incidences of intimate partner violence, changes in migrant living patterns, delay in accessing other healthcare services including contraceptive and safe abortion care and potential changes to decisions about parenting.
Contrariwise, telemedicine was a silver-lining during this period, and it revolutionised access to healthcare services worldwide. India too acknowledged the credibility and viability of these services by introducing telemedicine guidelines. Today, from covid tests to other screenings telemedicine in India, is flourishing each day in every sphere. But is it the same for safe abortion services? Sadly, the answer is NO! Although India recognised the essentiality of contraception and safe abortion services, the telemedicine guidelines reflected otherwise, as it still does not include abortion under its purview.
Ratika Rana
11 Feb 2022
Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day is celebrated on February 12 every year, and it aims to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health issues and reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
Women in India have always been at the receiving end of several social, cultural, institutional and operational challenges in all spectrums. Even after more than five decades of implementing the Maternity Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in 1971, a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy, or abort her child, remains a debatable and taboo issue. More than 15.6 million abortions happen in India, and many of them are unsafe, thus putting a woman's life at risk.
Continued: https://thelogicalindian.com/gender/sexual-reproduction-awareness-day-33905
Byreport-wire
Feb 6, 2022
‘Girls just want to have FUNdamental rights.’
We have come a long way concerning women’s rights, yet there is a long way to go. Women’s rights are not just inclusive of abolishing gender pay gap, equal opportunities in the workspace and freedom from discrimination. The umbrella term also shelters health management.
Women empowerment cannot progress without access to reproductive control and health. At this point, enters the boiling topic of Abortion. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, it is a fact that abortion is a healthcare need. India, as a developing country, recognised the need for reproductive justice for women close to forty-eight years back, when abortion was legalised. However, a different tone of this concept has unveiled recently that limits women’s right to reproductive health.
Continued: https://reportwire.org/2022/02/06/medical-abortion-pills-the-paradox-among-chemists/
Pratigya Campaign is focusing on addressing the serious issue of gender-biased sex selection while protecting women’s right to safe and legal abortion services in India.
Written by Shardul Nautiyal
January 17, 2022
In India, the conversation on abortion is riddled by social stigma, lack of registered MTP providers and lack of awareness on laws.
Pratigya Campaign has attempted to bridge the gap by populating a database of approved Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) providers so that pregnant women can connect to a verified provider. Since its inception in late 2020, the database of Pratigya Campaign has been accessed by over 2,000 people.
When India first passed its abortion legislation in 1971, it was one of the most progressive laws in the world. Fifty years and an amendment later, the country is struggling to offer rights-based abortion care.
Date 18.11.2021
Seerat Chabba (New Delhi)
Shilpa (name changed) found out she was pregnant at the age of 21. She had just enrolled herself into graduate school in India's commercial capital of Mumbai. Distraught and alone in a big city, she took an auto-rickshaw to the nearest hospital and got an appointment with a gynecologist.
Braving judgmental glances, the first question that she had to answer was: "Are you married?" In many parts of India, this question is asked when the doctor wants to know whether the person has been sexually active. Premarital sex remains taboo.
By Nayla Khwaja
September 16, 2021
As we know, pregnancy is usually celebrated
in Indian society and is considered a blessing and especially so, abortion
remains a tricky subject and has long been considered a taboo.
Abortion has been legal in India for past 50 years under certain circumstances
with the introduction of Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 – “It can be performed until 24 weeks
pregnancy after Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act amendment 2021 comes in
force by notification in Gazette of India with notification of formation of
Medical Termination of Pregnancy Amendment 2021 rules and regulations.” Until
then, abortion law in India allowed termination of pregnancy till 20 weeks. The
latest amendments to the MTP act further increase the upper gestation limit for
termination of pregnancies under special conditions and aim to improve access
to safe and quality services for women.
Continued: https://feminisminindia.com/2021/09/16/is-media-channeling-the-right-information-on-abortion/
Activists say governments must do more to ensure women’s safety during abortions
September 13, 2021
By Susanti Sarkar / New Delhi
The passing of a new law in Texas that literally bans abortions has caused an outrage around the world, especially since the United States is seen as one of the most liberal countries in the world. India may be miles ahead in legalising abortions and making it relatively easier to access, but abortions remain a taboo subject in India as well. One of the most serious consequences that reproductive rights experts fear is the possible rise in unsafe abortions, which is statistically much worse in developing countries like India, where unsafe abortions are the third-leading cause of maternal deaths. Activists are concerned that despite a recent amendment to abortion law in India, it still denies women the final say on the matter.
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