India – SCB MCH to examine minor rape survivor’s health for abortion

The case was referred for abortion by the district headquarters hospital at Puri to the SCB MCH on March 26, 2021, noting in the referral sheet that her pregnancy was 21 weeks old.

Published: 12th April 2021
Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Acting on a petition by the father of a 14-year-old rape survivor who is 23 weeks pregnant, for medical termination of her pregnancy, a division bench of Orissa High Court recently asked the Superintendent of SCB Medical College and Hospital to examine her condition.

The case was referred for abortion by the
district headquarters hospital at Puri to the SCB MCH on March 26, 2021, noting
in the referral sheet that her pregnancy was 21 weeks old.

Continued: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2021/apr/12/scb-mch-to-examine-minor-rape-survivors-health-for-abortion-2288965.html

12.04.2021

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News

Medical Termination Of Pregnancy (MTP) Act

The New Abortion Rules Are Good. Here’s How To Make Them Better

The amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy are welcome. But some gaps still need to be addressed.

Bhavani Giddu
21 March 2021

Rajya Sabha Passes Bill to Raise Upper Limit Of Abortions From The Present 20 weeks to 24

This week the Rajya Sabha passed a
much-needed amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of
1971. This new Bill ensures that women are provided access to safe and legal
abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, and humanitarian grounds by allowing
MTPs for up to 20 - 24 weeks for special categories of women. While the
categories are not specified and are left to the States to decide, they are
expected to include survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable
women like the differently abled and minors.

Continued: https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/opinion-the-new-abortion-rules-are-good-heres-how-to-make-them-better/377848

21.03.2021

Featured

Opinion

abortion law reform

anti-choice restrictions

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971

MTP Act

Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act

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

Right To Progeny And Termination Thereof Is A Fundamental Right Under Article 21: Orissa High Court

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK
19 Dec 2020

While permitting a rape victim to terminate her pregnancy after 20 weeks of gestation, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday held that right to progeny and termination thereof is a fundamental right enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

Reliance was placed on Meera Santosh Pal v. Union of India, (2017) 3 SCC 462, where the Supreme Court held that women's right to make reproductive choice is also a dimension of personal liberty as understood under Article-21 of the Constitution.

Continued: https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/orissa-high-court-right-of-woman-to-reproductive-choice-rape-victim-medical-termination-of-pregnancy-abortion-167458

19.12.2020

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News

Article 21 of India constitution

CEDAW

Convention for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Medical Termination Of Pregnancy (MTP) Act

Meera Santosh Pal v. Union of India

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

Unsafe Abortions, Inaccessibility, & Stigma: A Look Into India’s Abortion Scenario

By Janees Rafiq
26th October, 2020

Unsafe abortions have devastating effects on women’s health. Every year around 42 million women with unintended pregnancies choose abortion. Nearly half of these procedures that about 20 million abortions are unsafe. Around 68,000 women die because of unsafe abortions, making it one of the causes of increasing maternal mortality rate. Of women who survive unsafe abortions, 5 million suffer long-term health complications. Unsafe abortion is thus a pressing issue.

While some abortions are self-induced, most of them are performed by providers lacking required qualifications and skills to perform abortions and hence termed unsafe WHO defines unsafe abortion as a procedure for terminating an unintended pregnancy carried out either by persons lacking skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards or both. According to WHO, every 8 minutes, a woman in a developing country dies due to complications arising out of unsafe abortions.

Continued: https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2020/10/unsafe-abortions-a-threat-to-womans-life/

India – 1.6 Crore Abortions Happen Every Year, Yet We Don’t Talk About Them. How Can That Change?

By Ipas Development Foundation in Gender and Sexuality, Sexual Health, Taboos
17th October, 2020
Co-authored by Shivi Sukhija and Parul

Societal norms and cultures affect all of us and often take over our decision making powers and capabilities. One commonly occurring, but rarely discussed, instance is when a woman has an unintended pregnancy. Any woman in such a scenario, whether married or unmarried, will have two options available with her – to continue the pregnancy or to consider various options available for its termination or abortion.

The decision should be hers and Indian law also permits termination of pregnancy under a broad range of conditions. But a complicated journey begins when she decides to terminate the pregnancy and due to societal concerns and taboos attached with abortion, she herself or her partner are unable to discuss their thoughts and feelings with peers and families. As a result, in an effort to hide the unintended pregnancy and their decision to terminate it, the woman and her partner end up seeking unsafe abortion services.

Continued: https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2020/10/starting-conversations-around-unintended-pregnancies-and-abortions/

17.10.2020