• Abhishek Bhushan Singh
• Deepak Thakur

“The bourgeois sees in his wife a mere instrument of production.” ― Karl Marx Women rights cannot be achieved without having reproductive rights. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines reproductive rights as a right to control reproductive function, make reproductive choices free of coercion, right against discrimination and violence, right to educate oneself about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, freedom from coerced sterilization and contraception and right to protection from gender-biased practices such as female and male genital mutilation. In such a case, what is the status of the reproductive rights for women in India and how can we achieve these rights? Why and how are reproductive rights essential in achieving women rights. Thus, it is very important for us to have a jurisprudential outlook for the cause including sociological, psychological and economic reasoning to answer these questions. The paper highlights some of the relevant issues which act as a barrier in achieving these rights. Issues such as the right to basic food and nutrition, sex-selective abortion, low medical facilities, preventable maternal mortality, and morbidity. child marriage, lack of education, lack of decision-making power, domestic violence, cultural beliefs and norms of a patriarchal society. These problems are a major setback to India’s overall development. Unwanted pregnancies are also considered to be a social taboo in Indian society. If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child out of wedlock, she may be subject to social torture. Most of the times women are forced to abort under unsafe conditions due to this, in certain cases, this leads to the death of the pregnant women. The authors have put forth a doctrinal analysis of the relevant domestic laws, personal laws, norms, and beliefs of the society to understand the current situation of the Indian society and the changes required to achieve reproductive rights for women. This paper also highlights the role of the judiciary and the government in protecting these rights.

Domestic Violence, Unwanted Pregnancies, Coerced Sterilization, Maternal Mortality

"My womb, my right", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.140-150, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907G64.pdf

"My womb, my right", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp140-150, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907G64.pdf