Abortion rights in India are hard-won. In 2021, the Supreme Court observed in a landmark judgement that reproductive autonomy is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution. That means a woman can choose whether or not to exercise her right to abortion.
Gods of any religion and their earth-bound spokespersons have no say in women’s bodily autonomy.
Yet accessing safe abortion, without judgement, remains a Herculean battle. Pro-life (anti-abortionist) noise continues to drown out the simple facts of choice and consent.
Adding to that noise on August 9 were Catholic groups and Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar who is also the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) MLA from Thousand Lights in Chennai.
Speaking at an event organised by CHARIS India under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), Prabhakar declared: “Life begins at conception.”
This has been the tiresome slogan of anti-abortionists globally. It is the regular rallying cry of Christian nationalist Republicans in the US who seek to wipe out reproductive rights under the guise of protecting ‘all life’.
The event, held at Stella Maris College, a women-only institute, was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, passed in 1957 and amended in 2021.
So far, anti-abortion sentiments have not played a major role in Tamil Nadu’s politics. Some argue that Prabhakar’s stance is his own and that it cannot be interpreted as the state government’s. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who keeps claiming that his government stands for women, has said nothing yet.
Doubling down while speaking to the press at the event, Prabhakar said, “Various governments across the world have different views. But here, the Christian community has the strong belief that abortion should never take place at any point. Because every child is a gift from God. That gift must be cherished by every woman and every family.”
He also said that the issue will be brought to Vijay’s notice, who has “innovative ideas”. Prabhakar added, “He will definitely take steps.”
So CM Vijay needs to issue a clarification.
Do Prabhakar’s views represent Vijay’s ideology too? Is Vijay’s silence an endorsement? Does the state government understand the repercussions of Prabhakar’s participation in such an event? Do women seeking abortion in public hospitals have the assurance now that they will not be met with the same condemnation given centre stage by the Assembly Speaker?
What the Speaker said
Prabhakar opened his speech with praises for the state government and Vijay.
He recalled the CM’s visit to a hospital after taking oath, describing his interaction with a baby there: “His affection for the child makes you wish you had one of your own.”
A little later, he goes on to evoke scenes from late CM MG Ramachandran’s movie in which he eagerly awaits the birth of his child. He added that MGR chose such scenes to encourage women to have children.
Prabhakar also brought up the Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Scheme that promises one-gram gold rings at the time of birth to all babies born at government hospitals in the state. The Speaker claimed that Vijay’s intention to launch the scheme was to ensure safe deliveries and reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.
Firstly, it is disingenuous to conflate infant mortality rates with abortion. The infant mortality rate is calculated during the period between birth and 11 months of age. It does not include unborn foetuses. It’s unclear why Prabhakar would bring it up at an anti-abortion rally.
Secondly, the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) has been roped in for the questionably named scheme. Many are asking why the TNMSC has been tasked with sourcing gold rings when its primary function is to procure essential medicines and drugs.
A little later in his speech, Prabhkar quotes data that he says the organisers shared along with the event’s invite. The data is from the premier medical journal The Lancet. A 2018 study estimates that 15·6 million abortions (14·1 million–17·3 million) occurred in India in 2015. Prabhakar and the organisers lament these numbers: “This should not be seen as mere statistics. There is a life behind each stat.”
But this is cherry-picked information from a study that is by no means endorsing anti-abortion views. Religion and misogyny cannot wear the mask of science whenever convenient.
Here’s what the study actually concluded: “Health facilities can have a greater role in abortion service provision and provide quality care, including post-abortion contraception. Interventions are needed to expand access to abortion services through better equipping existing facilities, ensuring adequate and continuous supplies of medication abortion drugs, and by increasing the number of trained providers.”
The study also emphasises the need to provide accurate information about abortion drugs and follow-up care.
“The Indian government at the national and state levels needs to prioritise improving policies and practices to increase access to comprehensive abortion care and quality contraceptive services that prevent unintended pregnancy,” the study further says.
During his speech, Prabhakar said that he stood there with a “guilty mind”. He claimed that when his wife was pregnant with their third child, he had taken her to the hospital for an abortion. His wife, he added, did not want one.
“What God has given, no doctor can take away,” he recalled his wife as saying. When he concluded the flashback, he added that the procedure did not eventually work.
Faulty abortion procedures aside, the notable word there is “guilt”. It criminalises, despite legal protections, a woman’s choice to get an abortion.
As he wound down his anti-abortion speech, Prabhkar said that women seeking abortion must be met with compassion and empathy. He added that ‘pro-life’ means extending social and government support to these women so that they can go through healthy pregnancies without harm.
This is not compassion. It’s benevolent misogyny. It takes away choice while sweetening the assault on a fundamental right with tokenism.