Safe, accessible medical abortion in a rural Tamil Nadu clinic, India, but what about sexual and reproductive rights?
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Date
2014-12
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Reproductive Health Matters
Abstract
Women’s control over their own bodies and reproduction is a fundamental prerequisite to
the achievement of sexual and reproductive health and rights. A woman’s ability to terminate an unwanted
pregnancy has been seen as the exercise of her reproductive rights. This study reports on interviews
with 15 women in rural South India who had a medical abortion. It examines the circumstances under
which they chose to have an abortion and their perspectives on medical abortion. Women in this study
decided to have an abortion when multiple factors like lack of spousal support for child care or
contraception, hostile in-laws, economic hardship, poor health of the woman herself, spousal violence,
lack of access to suitable contraceptive methods, and societal norms regarding reproduction and sexuality
converged to oppress them. The availability of an easy and affordable method like medical abortion
pills helped the women get out of a difficult situation, albeit temporarily. Medical abortion also fulfilled
their special needs by ensuring confidentiality, causing least disruption of their domestic schedule, and
dispensing with the need for rest or a caregiver. The study concludes that medical abortion can help
women in oppressive situations. However, this will not deliver gender equality or women’s empowerment;
social conditions need to change for that
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Keywords
medical abortion, sexual and reproductive rights, economic hardship, spousal violence, women’s empowerment, India
Citation
Sri BS, Ravindran TKS. Safe, accessible medical abortion in a rural Tamil Nadu clinic, India, but what about sexual and reproductive rights?. Reproductive Health Matters. 2014;22(43):1-10.