On March 16, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Bill increased the gestation period of pregnancy during which women can seek abortion from 20 weeks to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Bill — which is now a law– has instituted medical boards to decide on abortion in case of foetal anomalies after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Dipika Jain, Director, Centre for Justice, Law and Society at Jindal Global Law School in Sonepat, near Delhi to get a broader understanding of both the law and its critique. We also looked at the Parliamentary debate on this issue, particularly those made by Amee Yagnik, a Congress MP from Gujarat and Binoy Vishram from the Communist Party of India in Kerala.

Show notes

The 2016 Lancet study on abortion in 6 states of the country
2019 BMJ study on unsafe abortions
Pratigya Campaign’s study analysing judicial orders on abortion
Centre for Justice, Law and Society at Jindal Global Law School study on medical boards
Parliamentary debates on MTP Bill on March 16, 2021

On March 16, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Bill increased the gestation period of pregnancy during which women can seek abortion from 20 weeks to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Bill &mdash; which is now a law&ndash; has instituted medical boards to decide on abortion in case of foetal anomalies after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Suno India&rsquo;s Menaka Rao spoke to Dipika Jain, Director, Centre for Justice, Law and Society at Jindal Global Law School in Sonepat, near Delhi to get a broader understanding of both the law and its critique. We also looked at the Parliamentary debate on this issue, particularly those made by Amee Yagnik, a Congress MP from Gujarat and Binoy Vishram from the Communist Party of India in Kerala.
Show notes
<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X1730453-9/fulltext">The 2016 Lancet study on abortion in 6 states of the country</a> <a href="https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/4/3/e001491.full.pdf">2019 BMJ study on unsafe abortions</a> <a href="https://pratigyacampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/assessing-the-judiciarys-role-in-access-to-safe-abortion.pdf">Pratigya Campaign&rsquo;s study analysing judicial orders on abortion</a> <a href="https://jgu.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/cjls/CJLS_Medical_Boards_Report_Final.pdf?fbclid=IwAR04vudKCaqSD_vELrGj7y6DWtRAOGxCBezpzsrQ8S0MocmhdgxrttSpavs">Centre for Justice, Law and Society at Jindal Global Law School study on medical boards</a> <a href="http://164.100.47.7/newdebate/253/16032021/Fullday.pdf">Parliamentary debates on MTP Bill on March 16, 2021</a>

The Suno India Show’ is a news show by Suno India combining slow journalism with under-represented and under-reported stories. Covering the diverse range of topics like politics, technology, education and society, the host brings in informative interviews and engaging discussions with experts. The show not only shines a spotlight on stories that matter but keeps the listeners up to date with the latest national news.

The Suno India Show&rsquo; is a news show by Suno India combining slow journalism with under-represented and under-reported stories. Covering the diverse range of topics like politics, technology, education and society, the host brings in informative interviews and engaging discussions with experts. The show not only shines a spotlight on stories that matter but keeps the listeners up to date with the latest national news.

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