Unsafe Abortions in India: Removing the Bottlenecks

Abstract

Unsafe abortions continue to cause maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Much of this is avoidable. Many factors are responsible for occurrence of unsafe abortions even in 21st century. To rectify the situation, we need to have a relook at the circumstances involved. Here we present a case who suffered catastrophic consequences due to her forced decision to undergo an abortion by an unqualified doctor. The lady first tried to get aborted from government health facilities. But due to various barriers, she had to contact an incompetent medical practitioner for termination of her pregnancy. This case also represents the diverse system-related obstacles which often deny the underprivileged sections of society from obtaining quality health care. Unless and until these barriers are removed, the practice of unsafe abortions would continue to plague the developing nations like India.