Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar recently spoke at a pro-life event in Chennai, saying, “Life begins at conception” and calling for protection of the “unborn child”. But what if a woman does not want to continue the pregnancy?
India’s abortion laws have come a long way — from criminalising abortion under the colonial-era Indian Penal Code to recognising reproductive autonomy as part of the constitutional right to life and personal liberty.
So where does Prabhakar’s personal belief end and his public responsibility begin? And what does “supporting women” actually mean if their choice is taken away?
Our latest LME Shorts looks at the history of abortion rights in India and the questions raised by the TN Speaker’s pro-life position.