How limited access to abortion changes Indian women's health and lives
Abortion is legal in India with certain conditions. But it is hard to access in many parts of the country, especially in rural India. An estimated eight women die every day from unsafe abortions in India.
This series, called Matter of Choice, will explore how women face medical, legal and social barriers to abortion.
As a nonprofit journalism organization, we depend on your support to fund more than 170 reporting projects every year on critical global and local issues. Donate any amount today to become a Pulitzer Center Champion and receive exclusive benefits!
Episode 1: Abortions Inaccessible; How These Women Suffered
In this first episode, Menaka Rao goes to villages in Azamgarh, India, where women have little or no options for legal abortions. Blind alley abortions are common, with unqualified doctors or quacks offering abortion, putting women’s lives at risk. What is it like to undergo such a risky abortion procedure? Menaka speaks with three women who underwent these procedures and hears their stories.
Episode 2: Why Women Seeking Abortions in Delhi Go From Doctor to Doctor
This episode is based in Delhi, where, despite facilities, women are given a run-around for abortions. In this episode, Menaka Rao speaks to three women who had a hard time seeking abortions in the country’s capital. These women were either treated with disrespect, or asked for very hefty fees in the private sector, often with very little assurance that the provider will provide an abortion. Menaka speaks to these women at the non-profit Parivar Seva Sanstha, which provides safe, affordable abortion care. The NGO has clinics in 11 states in India, including Delhi. Menaka also speaks with Neelam Rao, who runs the NGO's clinics in Delhi.
Episode 3: The problem with seeking abortion after turning single
This episode explores the barriers faced by women who are pregnant before they turn single, either by widowhood or marital separation, or any other reason. This is the third episode of the series Matter of Choice, a series that explores how women face medical, legal and social barriers to abortions.
In this episode, Menaka Rao speaks with a woman whose husband died when she was pregnant, leaving her to make the tough choice. We discuss the legal precedents in relation to women who sought an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy when they were either widowed or separated.
Episode 4: How getting an abortion is linked to contraceptive use
How a woman seeking an abortion is treated often relates to her contraception history. When someone seeks an abortion, the health system discriminates against those who take temporary contraceptives or no contraceptives at all. The public health hospitals often deny abortions unless women undergo a permanent sterilisation or at least take a long acting contraceptive such as intrauterine devices.
Episode 5: When seeking abortion is confused for sex selection
Studies show that the awareness about abortion and its legality is very low among people. To add to the confusion, the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT Act), which makes sex selection illegal, gives anti-abortion messages.
