Participating in the CAC Conclave was an enriching experience for me as I got the opportunity to engage and interact with experts from across India. The sessions at the conclave revolved around the women’s access to comprehensive abortion care services, abortion legality and strengthening access to safe abortion services.

I have been working in the field of public health and women and child development for a few years now, but I never thought that accessing safe abortion services can be so difficult for women in our country. I personally believe that each woman should have access to safe abortion services. At the conclave, I learnt about the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act 1971, its legalities and the barriers women face in accessing these services.

The presentations and panel discussion by experts from multi-disciplinary fields made the conclave interesting and engaging. A range of issues were discussed at the conclave like sexuality, abortion, adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health rights. These discussions helped enhance my understanding on these issues.

I particularly liked the session on abortion and law as it helped me develop a better understanding about comprehensive abortion care. The panel discussions on leveraging partnerships and communication were very interesting. The conclave has effectively addressed the misconceptions around abortion, conflation of MTP, POCSO and PCPNDT Acts through its technical and poster presentation sessions. The conclave provided appropriate information and knowledge regarding CAC.

This information and knowledge will help development practitioners like myself to strengthen access to safe abortion services in India.

Abhinav Pandey

Assistant Director, PISRD

Abhinav holds a degree in Biotechnology from VIT University, Tamil Nadu. Before joining PISRD he worked with Wipro Technologies. As an advocacy lead he tirelessly works to strengthen young people’s access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) at the district and state level.