Abortion as a Constitutional Right in India
Kopal Vashisth, BA.LLB. (3rd year), Siddhartha Law College
Neetu Das, L.LB. (2nd year), Siddhartha Law College
Abstract
Abortion is a topic which stays in the limelight of this contemporary world now and then. That’s what happened on 4 March 2024, when French legislators, in a progressive move, voted in favor of a bill to make the ‘Right to Abortion’ a Constitutional Right. France has created history by becoming the first-ever country to enshrine ‘Right to Abortion’ in their Constitution. In India, despite the legalization of abortion, 67% of the pregnant women still go for unsafe abortions and lack decisive autonomy for their reproductive choices. And if we talk about making the ‘Right to Abortion’ a constitutional right in India, the idea seems impossible due to multiple factors, in particular- religion, social and cultural norms, bio-medical ethics, financial problems, lack of support from family, emotional and psychological factors, etc. Also, where patriarchy is prevalent, it is a little difficult for a woman to access abortion, because male-dominated society does not give the power to decide ‘whether to keep a child or not’ to a woman irrespective of the fact that the choice concerns her body, which clearly violates a woman’s right to reproduction and decisional autonomy. A reason why the slogan “My body, my choice” is so famous among Feminists as it is seen as a milestone in achieving Women Empowerment.
Although much research is already conducted on Abortion Rights in India, no one discusses about whether we should make it a Constitutional right in India or not. Hence, the researcher through this paper will explain why there’s a need to enshrine ‘Right to abortion’ in the Constitution of India.
Keywords: Abortion Rights, decisive autonomy, women empowerment, Constitutional Right
Disclaimer: No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form by any means without prior written permission of the Editorial Team of Multidisciplinary Legal Affairs Journal. The Editorial Team of Multidisciplinary Legal Affairs Journal holds the copyright to all works contributed to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are purely personal opinions of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Team of Multidisciplinary Legal Affairs Journal. Though all efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information published, Multidisciplinary Legal Affairs Journal shall not be responsible for any errors caused due to oversight or otherwise.