Legal Barriers To Exercising Safe Abortion Rights In India: A Critical Analysis

Raageshwari Thimmaiah, Christ (Deemed to be) University

ABSTRACT

This study offers a thorough and critical analysis of the legislative restrictions that prevent Indian women from exercising their right to a safe abortion. In India, abortion is a sensitive and strictly regulated topic that is primarily governed by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, of 1971, and the subsequent amendments to it. The impact of legal framework challenges and inconsistencies on women's access to safe and lawful abortion services is examined in this study. It explores the medical, ethical, and sociocultural aspects of abortion, illuminating the differences in access to safe abortion services in different parts of India. This study also examines how judges, legislators, and healthcare professionals have shaped the nation's abortion rights environment. It examines the legal, social, and medical perspectives on abortion rights using an interdisciplinary approach to highlight major obstacles and possible reform options. The study's conclusions add to the ongoing conversation in India about women's health and reproductive rights by emphasizing how important it is to remove these legal obstacles to guarantee that women can exercise their right to an abortion in a safe manner.

Keywords: abortion, termination of pregnancy, legislative restrictions, reproductive rights, women’s health