India

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As if there were not already enough barriers to abortion access constructed in the name of “protecting women,” Arizona has become the first state to ban abortions performed on the basis of the race or sex of the fetus.

India has seen a fall in maternal mortality rate (MMR) by 59 percent between 1990 and 2008, but the huge rural urban divide in these rates are overlooked making it home to the highest number of women dying during childbirth across the world. One such state is Uttar-Pradesh, a highly populous state with more than170 million people which continues to have highest reported maternal mortality ratio at 440 per 100, 000 live births and which still remains above the national average. Even within a state, the access to and utilization of maternal health care varies based on region rural or urban, caste, religion, income, and education. Research has identified four important reasons for the continuing high maternal mortality rate in Uttar Pradesh: barriers to emergency care, poor referral practices, gaps in continuity of care, and improper demands for payment as a condition for delivery of healthcare services.

There are many ways to save women’s lives, but the success of any given intervention depends on local context. What works in one locale may not work in another.

As India expands its reputation as a fertility center, woman over the age of 60 are becoming the newest clients, and potentially casulties, in a quest for heirs.

Gestational surrogacy, the latest trend in reproductive tourism, a sub-industry of medical tourism, has increased exponentially over the last several years as Americans, Europeans and others seek out surrogacy services abroad.  But neither the legal nor the ethical implications of these arrangements has been well-considered.

A 28 year-old woman in India, in labor outside of Hyderabad in the town of Suryapet, birthed in the street on Sunday evening covered by saris, with only the assistance of the woman who brought her to a hospital initially along with some local women who stepped up to help.