The blurred lines between abortion and contraception in India

In 2021, 30-year-old Radhika* got pregnant. The Delhi resident had two children and did not want a third. She was taking 21-day contraceptive pills at the time, but admittedly missed a day, before she got pregnant. She said that she went to a private doctor to seek abortion but he was disparaging.

“The doctor said, ‘Women like you come to us only when you are pregnant. Why aren’t you careful?’” Radhika recounted. “When I told him that I missed having my pill for a day, he asked, ‘How can you forget? Do you forget to have your food?’”

Many women seeking abortion, doctors, health workers as well as other stakeholders told this correspondent that often, the first question any health provider asks a person seeking abortion is why they did not use contraception – thereby implying that they were so careless as to get pregnant in the first place.

How a person is treated when they seek abortion often relates to contraception history. Women this correspondent spoke to said that they were denied an abortion unless they underwent a permanent sterilisation or at least took a long-acting contraceptive such as intrauterine devices. These systemic denials and attitudes have classist, casteist implications.

While the public health system has a strong focus on…

Read more