In a written reply to a question by Ashish Shelar (BJP-Bandra West), Atul Bhatkhalkar (BJP-Kandivli) and others in the state legislative assembly on Thursday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that in 2015-16, a total of 34,790 abortions were conducted in Mumbai.
In what indicates lack of adequate awareness about family planning among sexually active couples, around 20% of abortions in Mumbai are performed on women in the 19 to 24 years age group.
In a written reply to a question by Ashish Shelar (BJP-Bandra West), Atul Bhatkhalkar (BJP-Kandivli) and others in the state legislative assembly on Thursday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that in 2015-16, a total of 34,790 abortions were conducted in Mumbai. During these abortions, a total of eight women lost their lives due to complications and of these, five women were in the 19 to 25 years age group.
Moreover, of the 34,790 abortions conducted, around 19.62% or 6,826 were in the 18 to 24 years age group. "This is the common age for child bearing here," noted Dr Rekha Davar, head of the gynecology department at the state-run JJ Hospital, pointing to how many women were married and bore children early and chose to opt for an abortion after a second pregnancy.
She admitted that the figures revealed that people were not using family planning tools including those offered free of cost in the public sector. "Family planning tools are safer and better than abortions," stressed Davar, adding that there was an element of risk associated with medical termination of pregnancy.
"I don't think there is an increase in number of abortions over a period of time," said Dr Rishma Pai, gynecologist and president-elect of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India, adding that they may have reduced due to awareness and use of contraceptives.
"However, there is also a great change in attitudes, lifestyles and social structures and pre-marital sex is very much common in India today. Of course, there has been a change of attitudes compared to 10- 15 years when it was a taboo subject," she noted, adding that the increase in reporting was also being reflected in numbers.
"Obviously, if there is going to be a lot more pre-marital sex, there is going to be unplanned pregnancy because unfortunately the change in the social structure is not... (reflected in an increase in) education and information. That remains the same but attitudes have changed," Pai said, adding that "there is no system of educating for example, 18 to 20 year olds... unless they come to the doctor."
Pai admitted there was an "extreme lack of awareness" especially about practical knowledge. She added that there was a drop in illegal abortions.
In his written reply, Fadnavis said the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) of the BMC conducts a probe every month into the abortions and deaths during the process.
The BMC is also taking measures to prevent female foeticide and this includes implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) act since 2001. The QAC, medical officer and PCPNDT cell officers visit sonography and medical termination of pregnancy centres to implement rules and 30 cases have been lodged in the courts under the PCPNDT Act.
Health and sex education is provided to teenagers in the BMC's F-South, M-West and K-East wards through the ARSH centres and health centres.
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