Women’s reproductive control is still a
highly contentious issue in many parts of the world, and as we have seen through
recent Supreme Court decisions in the United States, the divisive issue is not
solely one for developing nations.
As
women are painted as second-class citizens, subject to prejudice and sexual
harassment, unable to access consistent and affordable birth control and with
their bodies seen as familial or spousal property, the consequences are often
that unplanned pregnancies are high and unsafe abortions prevail. India is a prime
example: although the country allows for abortion on broad grounds, it still
accounts for exorbitantly high numbers of deaths and complications due to unsafe procedures, with
accounts of one
woman dying every two hours as a result.
