Current abortion practices in India: a review of literature

Among issues related to reproductive health, none has more controversial connotations than abortion nor carries a heavier burden of stigmatization. Abortion, is a universal phenomenon and is defined as and has existed throughout recorded history, yet it continues to be a highly charged, controversial issue, raising extreme passions among lay people, as well as politicians, religious leaders, and health and rights advocates. Although abortion services in India were liberalized more than three decades ago, access to safe services remains limited for majority of women. This paper synthesizes recent evidence on abortion scenario in India, explores factors why women seek abortions. It highlights factors, notably unmet needs for contraception, lack of awareness of legality of abortion services, limited access to safe services, poor quality of services, leading women to seek services from untrained providers. Thus by making abortion services broadly legal, understanding size, type of unmet need, characteristics of women with unmet need, can surely help tackle this problem to some extent.