India's abortion laws may be more progressive than
that of the US, but our doctor-centric approach must
change.
The American House Judiciary Committee held a hearing over the
issue of abortion access last week, even as the final decision of
the Supreme Court in the matter is awaited.
In 1973, the US Supreme Court in the landmark Roe vs
Wade1 judgement had ruled that the Constitution of the
United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose
to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.
This landmark decision, which legalised abortion in America and
struck down many US federal and state abortion laws now seems to
have been overturned, according to a leaked draft from the Supreme
Court. If it is allowed to go through, it would be the first time
the American apex court has gone back on a vital freedom that was
allowed to women all these years.
