Soon after the Supreme Court’s historic verdict allowing married and unmarried women to seek abortion at 24 weeks of pregnancy under the law, abortion right activists and advocates across India hailed it as a ‘progressive’ move, one that will let women make decisions regarding their own bodies.

Dr Chitra Ramamurthy, senior consultant, and infertility specialist noted that the judgment addresses the challenges in situations where abortion is illegal or highly restricted, and women resort to unsafe means to end unwanted pregnancies.

“Safe abortion practice has been a concern in our country, and with this judgment we can expect a reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe abortion practice. Nonetheless, awareness on contraceptive measures and safe sexual practices need to be a sustained and continued practice,” she said. Ashutosh Kaushik, CEO, FRHS India, and CAG member for Pratigya Campaign echoed similar views, saying,  “The judgment has shown some light towards the safe abortion practice that a pregnant person wants to take, free of stigma, free of disrespect, free of abuse.”

 Dr Rinku, senior consultant Obstretics & Gynaecologist from Rainbow Children's Hospital, Delhi, agreed with Kaushik. She said, “This means a lot for women emancipation and emphasizes the right to reproductive autonomy. When a woman goes for abortion she is already in a very vulnerable position. Abortion has many social and psychological implications for her.”

“It’s a much-awaited move as girls were visiting unsafe and shady clinics at the cost of their health for abortion to avoid unnecessary questions, Dr Vaishali Sharma, a gynecologist, opined.

She pointed out that abortion pills when taken unsupervised or any surgical procedure done at unregistered places can be life-threatening.

A bench of Supreme Court Justices DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala, and AS Bopanna, in a significant ruling on reproductive rights of women, held on Thursday that all women are entitled to safe and legal abortion till 24 weeks of pregnancy under the MTP Act, and making any distinction on the basis of their marital status is "constitutionally unsustainable". It said the rights of reproductive autonomy give similar rights to unmarried women as that to married women.