India expands abortion rights to single women

India’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that women have the right to abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of their marital status.

The ruling amends a 1971 law that limited the procedure to married, divorced and widowed women — last year, the same court had expanded the list to include minors, the disabled and people with mental disorders and victims of sexual or sexual abuse. rape, among others.

“The decision to have an abortion or not derives from complex circumstances, and it is up to the woman alone”, says the text of the decision, which also establishes that women have “reproductive autonomy” to opt for abortion, without the need to consult third parties.

The court added that sexual abuse within marriage could be considered rape. The legislation of the Asian country does not recognize the existence of marital rape, although efforts are being made in this direction.

The resolution now comes in response to a petition from a 25-year-old woman who claimed her pregnancy resulted from a consensual relationship, but that she decided to abort when the relationship ended.

The Supreme Court’s ruling was celebrated by feminist activists in India, who called the measure a milestone for women’s rights in the country. “It’s a first step,” says Yogita Bhayana, founder of Pari (People Against Rape in India).

“In an era where there are cases like Dobbs v. Jackson and making distinctions about the marital status of raped women, this is an excellent decision,” Karuna Nundy, an attorney specializing in gender issues and others, wrote on Twitter.

Nundy was referring to the case that led the US Supreme Court to overturn the understanding that abortion was a constitutional right in the United States, thereby reversing a 49-year-old decision before it had released the procedure known as Roe v. Wade. The episode sparked a wave of discussion about the procedure around the world.