Tamil Nadu doctors' body opposes speaker's remarks, cites women's reproductive rights
Chennai: The Doctors’ Association for Social Equality has criticised Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J C D Prabhakar over his reported remarks opposing abortion, stating that such views infringe upon women’s reproductive rights.
The association’s general secretary said women have the legal right to undergo abortion under the law enacted in India in 1971, and pointed out that the Supreme Court has also recognised women’s rights in this regard.
The criticism followed the Speaker’s participation in a ‘March for Life’, a pro-life rally organised at a college in Chennai. The doctors’ body objected to his participation in a campaign opposing abortion. It said such views should be considered in the context of the different medical and personal circumstances in which abortions may be performed.
The association said abortions may be required in situations including the detection of physical abnormalities in the foetus or when continuing a pregnancy poses a risk to the woman's health. According to TOI, abortions are performed for various reasons, including when physical abnormalities are detected in the fetus or when a woman’s health is at risk. Given the varied circumstances under which abortions are performed, speaking against the practice is unacceptable,” the association secretary said.
It argued that opposing abortion as a practice without considering these circumstances could affect women who require medical intervention. The association also cautioned that attempts to prevent women from accessing abortion services could push some towards illegal procedures and potentially put their lives at risk.
Speaking on the issue, the association’s general secretary said that abortions are carried out for various medical and other circumstances and that blanket opposition to the procedure was unacceptable.
The controversy comes amid the wider debate over abortion and women's reproductive rights following the Speaker's participation in the pro-life event. The association has reiterated that women's access to legally permitted abortion should be protected while medical decisions are taken according to individual circumstances.
