DNA Exclusive: Analysis of Supreme Court's historic verdict on abortion and marital rape

Eight women die every day due to unsafe abortions in India. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, 67% of unsafe abortions occur in India. There is a lack of strict laws related, social thinking and awareness about abortion in the country. The Supreme Court today gave a historic ruling on abortion rights and marital rape in India. SC's ruling can significantly reduce the number of unsafe abortions in the coming days and save the lives of thousands of mothers.

In today's DNA Zee News' Rohit Ranjan will analyze the historic decision given by the Supreme Court regarding the safety of women's lives. 

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In a landmark ruling on women`s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said, "Any pregnancy alleged to be caused by force by a pregnant woman is rape."

The Supreme Court said that forceful pregnancy of a married woman can be treated as "marital rape" for abortion.

The bench said that marital rape has to be considered as falling within the meaning of `rape` for the purpose of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and Rules and in order to save women from forceful pregnancy.

The court in its second decision held that the marital status of a woman can't be a ground to deprive her right to abort unwanted pregnancy.

However, married or unmarried women have the right to have an abortion without permission for up to 20 weeks. There are many conditions for abortion between 20 weeks to 24 weeks. 

The Supreme Court has made two most important grounds for granting the right of arbitration to the unmarried for 20 weeks.

Article 14 of the first constitution
and the second part of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Act, 2021

Interpreting the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the Supreme Court said that whether single or unmarried, all women have the right to abort under the MTP Act and Rules till 24 weeks of pregnancy.

To understand this whole matter, you need to know the amendments in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 and 2021 and then the Supreme Court's decision together. 

Please watch tonight's special edition of DNA for more in-depth information and other details.