At least three in five Indians favour legalisation of abortion in India, indicates a survey conducted by market research company Ipsos amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the 500 urban citizens surveyed in India as a part of the global study, 63 percent favoured legalisation, while 24 percent voted against it. 13 percent of those who participated in the survey said that they would prefer to not comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, at least seven in 10 global citizens favor legalisation of abortion.
BUT ISN'T ABORTION LEGAL IN INDIA?
Abortion in India is legal under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, if your pregnancy is under 20 weeks. An amendment raising this bar to 24 weeks of gestation is passed in the Lok Sabha but is yet to get a nod from the Upper House.
However, abortions under MTP is allowed only under certain circumstances – including whether the pregnancy would be harmful to the life and physical or mental health of the mother and the child.
Unsafe abortion is the third leading cause of maternal mortality in India – constituting up to 8 percent of such deaths.
Of the 64 percent who favoured abortion, 35 percent said that women should be permitted abortion whenever she decides she wants one, while 28 percent were of the opinion that it depends on circumstances such as if she has been raped.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES?
Ipsos reportedly surveyed 17,997 people across 25 countries between 22 May and 5 June.
The countries with most progressive views on abortion were Sweden (88%), Belgium (84%), France (84%), Britain (83%), Spain (83%) and Netherlands (83%)
Outside Europe, abortion is most widely accepted in South Korea (79%), Australia (78%) and Canada (77%).
Overall acceptance of abortion in Latin America ranges from just 48% in Peru and 53% in Brazil to 72% in Argentina.
Of the 25 countries surveyed, Malaysia is the one where abortion is least accepted. Only 24% of Malaysians feel that women should have the right to abort.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)