Abortion myths and facts
Love Matters India

Does Indian law allow abortion?

By Kate R Saturday, September 19, 2020 - 16:07
Yes, abortion is absolutely legal in India (under certain conditions) and did you know that women don’t need their husband/parent’s permission to have one? To mark the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion, we bust five prevalent myths about abortion in India.

While it is legal to have an abortion in India, the fear of social stigma robs many women of that choice. Married women are routinely asked for their husband’s permission and unmarried women are routinely asked for their parents’ (read father’s) permission — even though such a consent is not required by law. All this leads many women to resort to illegal and unsafe abortions. A recent report estimated that as many as 10 million women have illegal abortion in India putting their health and lives at serious risk. We delve into the most common abortion myths to help clear the air around legal aspects and encourage women to claim what is legally theirs. 

MYTH 1
Abortion illegal
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FACT: Any woman can have an abortion in India under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (1971). However, the law comes with a set of conditions such as the stipulation around the length of pregnancy, which occurred due to the failure of contraception in married couples. 

MYTH 2
Abortion surgical
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FACT: There are actually two types of abortions — via pills and via surgery. The former involves a combination of two pills — Mifepristone and Misoprostol — that are to be taken within a span of three days and must be done within 10 weeks of the pregnancy. Surgical abortions are usually performed after seven weeks of the pregnancy.

MYTH 3
Parent permission
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FACT: Many believe that in order for a woman to have an abortion, she must have the permission of her parents or husband. But this is absolutely false — if you are an adult woman, you don’t legally need anyone’s permission. 

MYTH 4
Abortion stage
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FACT: Many movies have contributed to this myth — a woman realises she is (visibly!!!) pregnant and seeks out an abortion, which is carried out straight away. The reality, though, is different. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act allows an abortion only if the pregnancy has not exceeded 20 weeks.

MYTH 5
Only qualified doctors can carry out abortions.
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FACT: Only qualified gynaecologists or Allopath doctors are allowed to perform abortions. All other doctors — Ayurvedic, Homeopath and Unani — should not be approached or be performing abortion procedures.  

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This article was first published on September 26, 2017. 

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Comments
Jee haan bete, bilkul kar sakte hain, lekin kisi visheshagya ya achchhee panjikrit doctor se - kishi bhi clinic mein. Kisi bharosemand doctor ki rai leejiye aur kisi neem hakeen ya chemist ki baaton mein bilkul mat aa jaaiye – DOCTOR ONLY. https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/unplanned-pregnancy Iske alawa aap FPAI clinic se sampark kar sakte hai jiski jaankari aapko issi website pe mil jayegi. https://www.ippf.org/about-us/member-associations/india Time mat gavaiye, jadli keejie Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum
Kritika bete 5 months, fir to abortion mushkil lag raha hai, please iske bare ek registered doctor se jald mil lijiye. https://lovematters.in/hi/resource/unplanned-pregnancy Iske alawa aap FPAI clinic se sampark kar sakte hai jiski jaankari aapko issi website pe mil jayegi. https://www.ippf.org/about-us/member-associations/india Yadi aap is mudde par humse aur gehri charcha mein judna chahte hain to hamare discussion board “Just Poocho” mein zaroor shamil ho! https://lovematters.in/en/forum Y
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