Assessing the extent of awareness among service seekers and service providers about the 2021 amendment to the MTP Act 1971
FULL REPORT, 20 January 2023 [Editor’s note: The text above is a photo as it was the only way I could copy it without having to re-type it. The report is 28 pages and is excellent. It deserves to be read in full as it shows the extent of the distance between the researchers and other experts and “ordinary” people who are often assumed to know much more than they do. The report makes a strong case for sharing far more information than is happening in India, and surely in many other countries too.]
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Nagpur: 15-year-old delivers baby after watching online videos, newborn dies
A 15-year-old girl from Maharashtra, allegedly a victim of sexual exploitation, hid her pregnancy for nine months and then delivered the baby while alone at home after watching how-to videos on YouTube. The girl reportedly ended up killing the newborn, according to the news report. She later narrated her ordeal to her mother, who took her to hospital. The body of the newborn was sent for post-mortem. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and also the Indian Penal Code. The post-mortem report led to a charge of murder. (All details based on media reports.)
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported in 2022 that 67% of abortions are deemed unsafe in India, and about eight women die due to abortion-related complications daily, making it the third main cause of maternal deaths. Amid a significant spike in unintended pregnancies, UNFPA termed it a “global failure to uphold a basic human right.”
SOURCE: NewsByteApp, by Snehadri Sarkar, 6 March 2023