• +91-9414163163

    Abortion Facts in India
    The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 makes abortion legalized in India in favor of a broad range of social and medical reasons, including: to save the life of the woman; to preserve physical health; to preserve mental health; to terminate a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, in cases of fetal impairment and contraceptive failure. However, in India illegal and forced abortions occur, the major reasons being
    • Sex selective abortion:
    • Prenatal sex determination was introduced to India in the 1970’s to identify medical disorders. However, its misuse started in India due to preference for male child in Indian families. After sex determination of the fetus, prospective parents selectively abort female fetuses ultimately paving way to female feticide. This is because Indian society is patrilineal, patriarchal and patrilocal. Several factors contribute to son preference like culture, economics liabilities as dowry etc.Females are seen as a burden. Once married, women are not respected until they give birth to a baby boy. The woman is blamed for producing a female child. She faces discrimination, desertion and, to some extent, violence. It is startling that sex selective abortion are more likely in upper and middle class, fairly well-educated population than tribal areas.
    • Societal stigma leading to abortion
      In India, there is stigma and shame attached to being an unwed mother. Sometimes, families reject girls with unwanted pregnancies and at other times fear of social ostracism drives many pregnant woman to select abortions. It is common that many situations where young girls conceive because of illicit relationship, rape or deceived on false promises to marry are pressured to abort under familial, social or other causes.
    Abortions equivalent to murder
    While the precise figures of abortion in India are unknown, however estimates are that around 6.7 million abortions take place annually and only about a million of these abortions are legal. Clearly, illegal and thus unreported abortions are estimated to outnumber legal abortions. Such illegal abortions are equivalent to murder. The fetus is a human being from the time of fertilization. Abortion is basically killing an innocent life that is flourishing in mother’s womb. Heart starts beating about 18 days after fertilization and within a month formation of limbs begins. By 6th- 7th week of pregnancy, formation of all the vital organs including brain occurs. That elective disruption/abortion of human life at any time from fertilization due to reasons as societal stigma and selective preference for male children, constitutes the willful destruction of an innocent human being, and is against humanity.