Gender bender

I carried out a study on abortion behaviour among vulnerable women in Mumbai slums and villages in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. I found that because of the strict implementation of the PreConception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in Maharashtra, many women were being denied abortion services, leading them to unsafe options.
I wanted that my host organisation start work on safe abortion along with maternal health, mortality and morbidity because unsafe termination of pregnancy constitutes a major part of overall maternal mortality and morbidity.For this, I conducted qualitative research. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 women and 10 practitioners in the public and private sectors in slums of Dharavi and Govandi in Mumbai and in the villages of Jalgaon district. Since this is a sensitive issue, a lot of care was taken to maintain confidentiality at all levels of research.
The biggest challenge for me was the resistance I faced from abortion service providers, especially, those engaged in unsafe practices. A Solapur NGO, which was supposed to assist in research, backed out at the last moment because it was afraid of action under the PCPNDT Act. Gaining the trust of women respondents was another challenge.
At my Mumbai-based home NGO, SNEHA, we are planning further research and interventions based on findings from this study to make a meaningful impact.
I hope to present my findings at the 7th APCRSHR conference in Manila, Philippines in January and at a Delhi-based law school in December. I want to write more papers on the topic and apply for a PhD while continuing to work in the field of reproductive rights and human rights.
-Neha Rathi
(The author is Maternal Health Young Champion, Institute of International Education)