Abortion in India: Emerging Issues from the Qualitative Studies

India pioneered in legalizing induced abortion (Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act of 1971) under which a woman can legally avail abortion if the pregnancy carries the risk of grave physical injury, endangers her mental health, when pregnancy results from a contraceptive failure in a married woman or from rape or is likely to result in the birth of a child with physical or mental abnormalities. Abortion is permitted up to 20 weeks of pregnancy duration and no spousal consent is required. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in 1996-97 about 4.6 lakh MTPs were performed in the country (MOHFW, 1997). Against that, an estimated “6.7 million abortions per year are performed in other than registered and government recognised institutions, often by untrained persons in unhygienic conditions” (Khan et al 1998).