Abortion in India – an Overview

Abstract

This paper makes an overview of the abortion status in India from social, legal and ethical perspectives. From the social perspective, it considers the figures and the reasons for abortion prevalence. From the legal perspective, it briefly examines the legal framework within which abortions are performed in India. From the ethical perspective, it refers to the limited range of ethical debates on abortion in the country. This overview reveals that ethical considerations on abortion in India are done exclusively from the angle of the rights of women – rights of autonomy, health care, and safe abortion – not from the angle of the rights of the fetus.