Rules push women to unsafe abortion options

A paper published in Lancet medical journal last May had shown that criminalizing abortion does not prevent it but rather pushes women towards unsafe options. Several studies have estimated that of 6.5 million abortions that take place in India annually, a staggering 57% could be unsafe. Around 8% of maternal deaths in India are attributable to unsafe abortions. There are two main reasons behind unsafe abortions in the country— one is the MTP law itself that has a stringent cut-off time and the another is lack of qualified obstetricians and gynaecologists in rural parts of the country,” said Mr Vinoj Manning, Executive Director of Ipas Development Foundation, a non-profit body that works towards women’s reproductive rights.