India ’s Liberal Abortion Law, Nullified by Social Stigma

Sex workers in Chennai give a thumps up to India's liberalised abortion law. Many sex workers are living with HIV and face discrimination and stigma in accessing safe abortions. Credit: Stella Paul/IPSBy Stella PaulNEW DEHLI, Apr 14 2020 (IPS) Arti Zodpe is from the Tamasha (folk dance-drama) theatre in Sangli, in India’s Maharashtra state. After evening performances, some of the singers and dancers offer sex work services to the audience. “We [Tamasha sex workers] live outside of the city as people feel disturbed by the sound of our ghunghroo [anklet bracelets with bells] and music. When we go to the city, especially to a sex health clinic, the staff say, ‘so you have come to spread your filth here’. If we get an abortion, they make us clean the floor afterwards,” she had said at a recent gathering of doctors and abortion rights experts. Zodpe’s life narrates the difficulties vulnerable women like her face to get an abortion, and explains in painful detail the layers of social discrimination and stigma marginalised women face in orthodox Indian society. Safe abortion still a dream for many Abortion has been free in India since 1971, yet millions of women still fail to access safe abortions. According to the Lancet Global Health report 2019, 15.6 million abortions occurred here in 2015, of which 78 percent were conducted outside of health facilities. Most of these abortions were also by women obtaining medical abortion drugs from chemists and informal vendors wit...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Asia-Pacific Development & Aid Editors' Choice Featured Gender Headlines Health Human Rights Inequity Poverty & SDGs Regional Categories TerraViva United Nations Abortion Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP) Coronavirus COVI Source Type: news