Findings from a new study ‘Abortion and unintended pregnancy in six Indian states: Findings and implications for policies and programs’, has reported that most Indian women choose over the counter drugs sold at pharmacies over visiting doctors to get an abortion.

The study was conducted by Guttmacher Institute, New York, International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai, and the Population Council, Delhi. It is the largest ever study conducted on abortion in the country since 2002. Findings from six states- Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu showed that the midpoint abortion rate in women between the ages of 15 to 49 is the lowest in Tamil Nadu (32.8) and highest in Assam (66.2).

63% women in Tamil Nadu and 83% women in UP end unwanted pregnancies by purchasing over the counter abortion pills sold in pharmacies, rather than going to a doctor. Apart from these alarming findings, the study also reported that all of the recent abortion reports in the country, including the National Family Health Surveys, have largely under-reported and failed to significantly highlight the issue of unsafe abortions.

Information for the article was sourced from The New Indian Express. Read the original here.