Reproductive Rights

Reproductive Rights

Subject: Polity

Section: Constitution

Context: Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has privately voted to strike down the constitutional right to abortion as determined by the landmark Roe vs Wade case in 1973, according to a leaked draft opinion from February 2022.

What is the Roe vs Wade case?

• Roe woman named Norma McCorvey who in 1970 sought to have an abortion when she was five months pregnant.
• 7-2 majority opinion paved way for the recognition of abortion as a constitutional right in the U.S., effectively striking down a wide range of state-level abortion limitations.
• Based on the Roe vs Wade case, the framework of regulations that applied towards the right to abortion

Impact of overturning the Roe judgement

• If the Supreme Court rules to overturn the Roe judgement, the power to decide on the abortion would rest with the elected leaders of each state.
• With the ban on abortion in their states, women might travel out of state for the procedure and also look to use illicit pills as the ban restricts their access to safe abortions further affecting their health and wellness.
• The removal of the constitutional right to abortion mostly affects low-income people, people of colour and rural communities across the country.

Legality of abortions in India

• India’s Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 allowed abortion until 20 weeks of pregnancy. Through an amendment act passed in 2021, the ceiling for abortions was raised to 24 weeks for special categories of women.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 2021

https://optimizeias.com/medical-termination-of-pregnancy-amendment-bill-2020/