On 30 September 2022, India’s top court voided a rule that differentiated between married and unmarried women and their rights to a safe abortion. Previously, in 2021, a historic amendment to India’s abortion law had finally allowed unmarried women to undergo pregnancy terminations – but married women were permitted abortions until four weeks later. The court ruling removed that distinction, setting the limit at 24 weeks for all.
Despite widespread social conservatism, our abortion laws have been quite progressive. Abortions for married women have been legal since 1971 under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and Rules (MTP).
