September 30, 2022
Cited article by Tanvi Mehta and Suchitra Mohanty, Reuters
HRRC supports India's court ruling favoring the right to abortion. This is a milestone for reproductive rights globally, and should be viewed by other countries as a ruling that is a first and progressive step towards supporting the rights of all.
Article Summary
India's top court has ruled in favor of a woman's right to abortion, up to 24 weeks into pregnancy, regardless of marital status. This overrules a 1971 law, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, which limited the operation to "married women, divorcees, widows, minors, disabled and mentally ill women and survivors of sexual assault or rape". The court ruling stated, "The decision to have or not to have an abortion is borne out of complicated life circumstances, which only the woman can choose on her own terms without external interference or influence".