The National Consultation, ‘Beyond 40 Years of Legal Abortion in India: Committing to Women’s Health and Rights’

The National Consultation, ‘Beyond 40 Years of Legal Abortion in India: Committing to Women’s Health and Rights,’ was convened by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ipas India on 12 and 13 September 2013 in New Delhi. This consultation culminated in the joint call to action for strengthening women’s access to comprehensive abortion care services in India.

The consultation brought together key stakeholders, policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and representatives of donor agencies to deliberate on expanding provider base, medical abortion, issues of gender-biased sex selection, and access to safe abortion, sexual and reproductive health needs of young women, and scaling up CAC services under the National Rural Health Mission.

This report captures the recommendations from participants and the Call to Action developed and presented at the consultation to advance the rights of women and expand access to safe abortion care.