It is her body, it is her choice

Through this project, we were advocating for rights-based reproductive health policies and tackling the deep-rooted stigma around abortion. While working, I met and worked with so many wonderful people and learnt about my own and other cultures. I got to spend a lot of time in South Africa – a beautiful country with some beautiful people. Most importantly, I learned that with the right approach, intention, and people, change is possible.

I learnt everything on the job – the abortion laws, the global scenario of unsafe abortions and the lives they were claiming , and landmark victories such as Roe V. Wade. and how polarized this issue is the world over. The more I read and heard, the more it frustrated me that so many women didn’t (and still don’t) have the power and agency to make choices about their bodies without fear, violence or coercion.

India and South Africa have very different policy and programmatic challenges related to abortion, which lead to a substantial portion of the world’s burden of unsafe abortion practices. When I started working on this issue, I understood what the ongoing abortion debates were about and that there was a dire need to share crucial information about the abortion laws and available services with women and young girls. Prior to this, I didn’t know that abortion was legal in India and what services were available.

To positively impact women’s access to safe services, we knew that it would require changing and updating abortion policies, increasing awareness amongst the masses about the abortion laws and services that are available to them, as well as tackling abortion related stigma, and that is what our core focus was for this project.

One of the activities that I truly cherished working on was the My Body My Choice campaign, which focused on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and bodily autonomy. It was born out of a simple thought – it is her body, and therefore, it is her choice. Working with brilliant team members who were equally passionate about this issue. I remember the days and nights that went into strategizing how this campaign could create impact.

Working with brilliant team members who were equally passionate about this issue. I remember the days and nights that went into strategizing how this campaign could create impact.

I also understood the power of partnerships when trying to create change on an issue that is stigmatized as abortion. This campaign was launched with other organizations working on abortion in both countries. It was supported by celebrities, artists and influencers and used art, social media and storytelling to share messages. In South Africa, on International Safe Abortion Day, 2018, we organized a march with more than 600 people in Johannesburg and as they walked through the city – they chanted “my body my choice” in unison. This was the first ever march on abortion and I will not forget that moment in time. In 2019, we organized a photo art exhibition titled “Voices and Choices”, curated by an award-winning director, actress and activist, on the mounting struggles of women and young girls trying to o access safe abortion services. Originally only to be held for two days, the exhibition was extended pro-bono by a month due to attention from the media.

What was special about this campaign was that through its activities – it encouraged many women to come forward with their stories about getting an abortion. As we were implementing this project, we witnessed the amendment and passing of the Indian abortion law, which in some ways, did expand access to comprehensive care for women. Although, abortion is still not a right.

Even today, the campaign and its coalition of partners in both countries are looked upon as symbols of change, who reminded many women, that because it is their body, it MUST be their choice. Seeing projects such as this being implemented on the ground and impacting lives and communities – that’s what inspires, drives and fulfils us.

Sadly, I write this after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade—the 1973 landmark case protecting the right to abortion. The decision ends the Constitutional protections for abortion, diminishing the rights of women, and threatening their access to reproductive care. Why should everyone be concerned about this? Well, the United States has played a big role in championing human rights globally. Roe V. Wade inspired movements and laws in countries and activists across the globe have expressed alarm at the prospect of other countries emulating the Supreme Court’s decision. This ruling may also signal a return to withdraw U.S. funding for reproductive health care.

I believe that forcing someone to carry a pregnancy and give birth against their will has devastating impacts, derailing their life, education, and career plans, and assigning them to a future they never wanted for themselves. And I will continue to support and work for a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies and futures.

Read this article to understand more on abortion in India, overturning Roe V Wade and what this means for abortion rights.