In India, abortion is only permitted for a woman who is less than 20 weeks pregnant. Surprisingly only 20% of the women in India know that abortion is legal, or the rules pertaining to it.This discrepancy is primarily because of lack of access to hospital facilities, awareness and stigma around abortion shows the latest study published in the international medical journal Lancet. (shethepeople.tv)

Very recently in an incident in a government primary health centre in Bhondsi, a nurse was arrested by the police for her alleged involvement in illegal termination of pregnancies.

The cops said that the accused conducted these medical procedures from the government staff quarters. Anamika was misusing her official position and allegedly stole medicines from the health centre and used the same to conduct illegal abortions, said sources. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Inspector Narender Singh, SHO, Bhondsi police station said that she has been booked under sections 5 and 6 of the MTP Act.

The worldwide scenario

According to a recent study, between 2010 and 2014, a total of 55.7 million abortions occurred worldwide each year. Of this, 30.6 million were estimated safe whereas 17.1 million were less safe and eight million were least safe. The average unsafe abortions in the south-central Asia region were as high as 58 percent. The region includes countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. (india.com)

Lawmakers need to think about ways and policies to be able to implement the rules around abortion efficiently so as to protect both the child and the mother.