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Abortion and contraception in India: the role of men

The callous attitude of Indian men that ‘she can always abort’ in cases of an unwanted pregnancy caused by failure to use a condom needs to be tackled at the root.

Published:
Nalini.png
Nalini.png

‘All unwanted pregnancies and abortions can be traced back to the male ego. Go figure!’ Image: Nalini M.

Despite India pursuing an aggressive family planning program and the fact that we live in an age of information, abortion rates are showing no signs of slowing down. How does one explain this anomaly? Could it be that the condom lived up to its premise of a 2-12 % failure rate, or was it never used to begin with? What about female birth control? Is the information out there and easy to access? Is it always the women’s problem to deal with the messy aftermath of sex, while the male enjoys unbridled pleasure?  Can actual abortion figures ever be determined in a country where self-induced abortions are still performed and go largely unreported?