Considering abortion in Chennai: What are better options?
Bangalore Vs Chennai: Which is better?
Bangalore Vs Chennai has been a very relevant question that has been popping up from time to time.
Undoubtedly, the two cities are at the neck to neck when it comes to many concerns. They may range from natural climate and weather conditions to man-made roads, infrastructure, international and domestic connectivity and what not.
What about healthcare? What about women reproductive rights and what about abortions?
Well, this post intends to compare the two cities in terms of available abortion options for women. And to look into the reasons that behave as compelling factors for women from Chennai and nearby towns to travel to Bangalore for safe, legal and confidential abortions.
Abortion options compared between Chennai and Bangalore:
It has been five decades since abortion in India is legal. Over years, amendments have been coming from time to time. Some may be accredited to the up-gradation of healthcare facilities and abortion techniques. While credit for others may go to women struggling to find safe and legal options to opt-out of unwanted pregnancies.
Bangalore Vs Chennai in abortions: What’s similar and what’s not?
Changes can be challenging and can even be conceding depending on many factors. Let’s first talk about the reproductive rights of women in India, be it in Chennai or Bangalore.
Abortion rules in India (similar for Chennai and Bangalore):
Abortions in India are governed by Indian law that stands the same throughout the country’s geography. They have been framed under the Indian Penal Code and are collectively known as the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act 1971.
The law saw some improvements which were first introduced in 2003, then 2014 and the latest being in 2020, officially published early this year, in 2021.
The changes or the amendments have been brought in force to expand access to safe and legal abortion services for all women. Indian law recognizes the reproductive rights of women and hence allows safe abortion services for a wide range of circumstances.
Considering the latest MTP rules along with the amendments made down the journey, abortion in India is legal. The circumstances and the other legal concerns regarding safe abortions in India include:
The case of contraceptive failure:
Contraceptives do fail! So, if you are carrying an unwanted pregnancy even after having used preventive measures, you can obtain a legal abortion in India.
Until recently, this reason for terminating an unwanted pregnancy was open only to married women. Earlier, many unmarried girls and single mothers or women who were unable to avail of safe abortions legally resorted to unsafe methods of abortion. By doing so, they risked their health and lives.
Moreover, maternal mortality and morbidity in India just like any other country worldwide could be attributed to unsafe abortions.
The Indian government recognized these risks with abortions sought by unsafe means. And hence, in its recent MTP Amendment Act, 2021, the change was brought in and the married clause was dropped. Now, the condition of marriage for obtaining a legal abortion on grounds of contraceptive failure exists no longer.
Are you unmarried or a single mother?
Are you living in Chennai or Bangalore or anywhere in India?
Or even if you are living in any part of the world, you can avail of legal and safe abortion in India. Hence, for terminating an unwanted pregnancy, you may not resort to an unsafe method of abortion.
Do not try to fall in for unsafe methods like self-administration of abortion pills. Risks with abortion pills may be more than you may even think of.
To save the woman’s life and/or health:
Abortion in India is legal if the ongoing pregnancy poses a threat to the woman’s life and/or health.
A woman’s body undergoes several changes during pregnancy. Many women have co-existing medical conditions either before conception or may happen to them during pregnancy.
Some high-risk pregnancy complications include gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes and more. A woman’s age, lifestyle and existing medical conditions may put pregnancy in a high-risk situation. Sometimes, they may even pose threat to the pregnancy as well as her life and/or health.
Ectopic pregnancies also belong to the category where pregnancy termination is required to save the woman’s life.
Each pregnancy and associated risks are different. Therefore, it has to be justified by the doctor whether the pregnancy is continued or terminated.
Some other common conditions include uncontrolled high blood pressure, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), kidney diseases, autoimmune diseases like lupus or multiple sclerosis, uncontrolled thyroid disease, HIV/AIDS, ZIKA infection, obesity, placenta disorders, etc.
“High blood pressure may increase the risk of preeclampsia.”
(Ref.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2018). FAQs: Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy. Retrieved October 31, 2018, from https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Preeclampsia-and-High-Blood-Pressure-During-Pregnancy )
“PCOS women may have to undergo an abortion before 20 weeks.”
(Ref.: Office on Women’s Health. (2016). Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) fact sheet. Retrieved February 6, 2017, from http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.html)
The case of fetal anomalies:
In events, fetal anomalies have been detected, abortion in India is legal. This has been legalized looking into the fact that many children born with such diseases are either short-lived or they may have to spend their entire lives with an untreatable disease.
Even when a woman is taking certain medications for treating the existing conditions like that of autoimmune disorders, these medicines may be harmful to the fetus and the pregnancy may be required to be terminated.
Obesity before pregnancy is associated with problems relating to fetal heart and other structural deformities.
The case of rape/incest:
Sadly, but it’s true that many girls and women are the victims of sexual assault.
A quick fact check:
- “Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India.” (Ref. Kumar, Radha (2003) [1993], “The agitation against rape”, in Kumar, Radha (ed.), The history of doing: an illustrated account of movements for women’s rights and feminism in India 1800-1990, New Delhi: Zubaan, p. 128, ISBN 9788185107769; “Chapter 5: Crime against women”, Crime in India 2012 Statistics (PDF), ncrb.gov.in, p. 81, archived from the original(PDF) on 16 January 2016
- On average, 88 women get raped in India. (Ref.: “No country for women: India reported 88 rape cases every day in 2019”. indiatoday.in. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.)
What if these women or girls get pregnant out of rapes or incest?
Abortion in India is legal to terminate the pregnancies that have resulted from rapes.
The legality of abortion in India in terms of gestation length:
Abortion in India used to be legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. The same has been extended to 24 weeks as per the new MTP Amendment Act 2021.
But the difference is that for general circumstances, abortion can be obtained for up to 20 weeks only. And only in special circumstances like that of fetal anomalies or women’s lives in danger, can an abortion in India be performed up to 24 weeks.
And for such special circumstances, consent of more than one doctor is required. Whereas, for up to 20 weeks, consent from a single practitioner is sufficient.
Woman’s consent: Does Indian abortion law has a space for it?
Yes, of course, Indian abortion law requires a woman’s consent before the procedure. And the good news is that for abortion in India, only the woman’s consent is required if she is an adult. So, even if you are unmarried but have attained an age of 18 years, you can avail of legal abortion in India.
Abortion in Chennai vs Abortion in Bangalore
Both Chennai and Bangalore are in India and the same abortion rules govern them. Then, what makes the difference?
To answer this, let us first find out what do women who seek abortions in Chennai are looking forward to.
We surveyed some women who reside in Chennai but obtained abortions in Bangalore. Based on our survey and the questions we asked them, here is what those women told us.
We shall be discussing them one by one. The numbering has been done according to their priorities.
1. Confidential abortion:
Nearly 99% of women travelled to Bangalore from Chennai for a confidential abortion.
Since Chennai is much smaller than Bangalore, there is a huge probability of running into an acquaintance. Some incidents may be like:
There may be a known co-patient.
Women who seek confidential abortions hesitate in visiting the government medical facilities due to the huge crowd. There are common waiting rooms and hence very high chances of meeting someone you know.
Some staff members may be known to the woman:
Even the hospital may have a woman’s neighbour or someone known to her working as a staff member. Women do not wish to risk their privacies with acquaintances.
Risk in future:
Even if the woman doesn’t know anyone in the hospital, residing in the same city may pose many chances in future to meet the doctor or the nurse or some other hospital staff member. Women fear they may meet them in some odd circumstances.
Unmarried girls fear that if their pregnancy or abortion status is revealed, they will become a subject for mockery. They may even face difficulty in getting married. Even if she gets married, her past personal life may affect her future marriage, relationship and much more.
Fear of compromised privacy hampers woman’s personal, social as well as professional life:
Even after abortion, the fear of abortion details being known to someone does not let women sleep well. They wake up in the middle of the night, remain anxious and nervous, avoid social gatherings and more. They tend to negatively impact their social lives.
Besides social lives, their personal lives also suffer. And even at work, they always tend to keep daydreaming which affects their professional efficiency and growth as well.
The fear of abortion status being disclosed and being a victim of the social stigma is huge. For unmarried girls, this fear is huge since they do not even want to let anyone known that they were pregnant.
Option 1:
Some such women opt for secretive unsafe methods of abortion such as buying abortion pills in Chennai.
We request you not to put your health and life in danger by self-administration of abortion pills. Risks with abortion pills can be severely damaging. You might put yourself in huge danger. So, stay away from self-diagnosis and self-prescription.
Option 2:
Another option is to visit somewhere else, like Bangalore to have a confidential as well as safe abortion.
Hence, women often choose to travel to a far-off city where they can obtain a safe and confidential abortion and return stress-free. For unwanted pregnancy abortions, women want to get things over as soon as possible. They don’t want to be chased by the aforementioned fears.
Apart from the government medical facilities, women due to the aforementioned fears are reluctant to even in going to private abortion clinics. Their best option to keep their abortion as private as possible is to travel to a city that is not too close and not too far.
2. Safe abortions:
Next to confidentiality is the safety of the woman. Traumatic abortion stories and fears tend to frighten women.
They want the confidence of safe abortions. They look forward to having safe procedures where both their health and life are safeguarded.
And this is very much of a wise thing to think of. Since abortions are associated with risks and complications, it is important to visit only certified abortion clinics.
Fear of complications with abortions may negatively impact a woman’s behavior who is already undergoing mood swings and hormonal changes. This can be seen from a very recent example in Chennai where a woman took abortion pills in late-stage. She seems to have become paranoid due to fear of pregnancy complications. Read the full story.
Confidentiality and safety have become women’s priorities in quality abortion care.
3. Kind and polite behavior:
Women want to be attended by kind and polite hospital staff. Whether married or unmarried, India has legalized abortions. But, society, stigma and how different people react with women who seek abortions are changing only gradually.
Women receive harsh remarks and are sometimes criticized on moral or religious or ethical grounds. Besides their physical and mental peace, their psychological behavior gets cynically impacted.
Of the women we surveyed, many of them said, “Our physical wounds may heal, but mental wounds can lead us in depressed states.”
For your kind information, abortion is considered safe on the following grounds:
- Woman’s physical health and life are protected.
- Her mental health is promoted.
- Her human rights are valued.
- She doesn’t get victimized due to any kind of discrimination.
- Her decision and her right to the decision are respected.
- Her pregnancy and abortion details are kept confidential.
Out of the surveyed women, many of them perceived being treated with respect, politeness and kindness as their priority.
Hence, the patient must receive a positive interaction with the hospital staff. It should come to her regardless of her abortion decision or marital status or getting pregnant or any other reason.
Travelling to American Hospital Bangalore (AHB) from Chennai for an abortion:
AHB has come as the best choice for abortions. It addresses all the priorities that women from Chennai prefer.
Confidentiality:
At AHB, all abortions are confidential. No details of any patient may be disclosed to anyone besides herself. The best abortion clinic recognizes the importance of confidentiality and even maintains the same as directed by the MTP Act of India.
Since the woman is expected to be coming from Chennai, there is no chance of meeting an acquaintance.
Moreover, from consultation to the final discharge of the patient, all happens with privacy as the priority. You will receive a one-to-one private consultation with the doctor.
The doctor will advise you regarding your case-specific. You will be kept in the loop regarding all abortion decisions.
Even after the abortion procedure, you can relax in a private room. Every aspect of privacy is taken into consideration at AHB.
Safety:
- AHB is a premier abortion hospital that has received all certifications required to perform abortions. It is a certified abortion hospital.
- All the doctors are medically qualified as per the Indian Medical Council Act.
- All nurses are also qualified. They have received their training internationally. Moreover, they are trained to upgrade their skills from time to time.
- The abortion performing doctors have performed thousands of abortions in the past four decades. They are highly educated and experienced doctors.
- Additionally, the hospital follows all guidelines as recommended by the WHO for safe abortions.
The method of abortion is decided as per the patient-specific. For an idea, the three methods of abortion are:
- The medical method of abortion: up to 6-8 weeks
- Vacuum Aspiration method of abortion: up to 12 weeks
- Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E) method of abortion/Surgical method of abortion: up to 20 weeks
Besides the gestation age, the method of abortion is also dependent on the location of pregnancy and the patient’s existing medical conditions.
- All preventive measures are followed to minimize the risks of abortions.
Kind and polite staff:
AHB’s staff is not only competent but also highly compassionate. You can expect a relaxing and calm atmosphere and a warm treatment by the staff.
From your very arrival through the discharge, you will not be able to find out any stigma, judgmental attitude, harsh comments or something that may hurt your feelings.
AHB recognizes the sensitivity of abortions and how they impact a woman physically, mentally and psychologically.
You can be assured that you will receive the best behavior at AHB.
Confidence of a successful abortion:
Very often do we hear about incomplete abortions. Even if you take abortion pills as recommended by the doctor, there are chances of incomplete abortion.
Since the medical method of abortion is nearly 95%-98% effective, there is always a probability of incomplete abortion. The same needs a surgical procedure to complete the abortion.
Women who travel to AHB, Bangalore have a huge demand for same-day abortion procedures. We understand their urgency and there’s good news for them.
You may choose to have your unwanted pregnancy terminated by the Vacuum Aspiration Method which is a gentle and painless abortion procedure. It takes nearly 3-10 minutes to complete the procedure and you may be discharged in an hour as you feel comfortable.
Many women opt for this method even if they are very early and can have their pregnancy terminated by the medical method.
This is because of pain, discomfort, a waiting period and other risks with abortion pills are what they do not wish for.
Travelling to AHB, Bangalore from Chennai made it easy!
You have so many options to reach Bangalore. It is located at a distance of nearly 347 Km. It takes nearly an hour for a domestic flight to land you in Bangalore and vice versa. Check out the flight availability at: Make My Trip, Go Ibibo, etc.
By car or cab which too are easily available, you may reach there in nearly 6-7 hours. Check out car rentals.
The GPS facility can help you reach your abortion destination at the earliest and without any hassle.
You can plan to stay at a hotel to rest for the night and schedule your return flight or cab the next day.
Is the abortion law in India applicable similarly for foreign women also?
Very true, Indian abortion law recognizes the reproductive rights of women regardless of their nation or citizenship.
Many women from foreign nations or expatriate populations often travel to India as a part of a short abortion trip. They avail legal, safe and confidential abortions in Bangalore at American Hospital Bangalore and return happily.
If you are living in a foreign country, here’s a helpful guide. Feel free to click on the corresponding links and know your best options for abortion in India.
- Abortion in Dubai: Abortion in Dubai compared to Abortion in Bangalore India – What are your options?
- Abortion in Sharjah: Abortion in Sharjah Versus Abortion in India
- Abortion in Bhutan: Abortion in Bhutan Compared to Abortion in India
- Abortion in Oman: Abortion in Oman Versus Abortion in India
- Abortion in Bahrain: Abortion in Bahrain compared to Abortion in India
- Abortion in Kuwait: Abortion in Kuwait Versus Abortion in India
- Abortion in Qatar: Abortion in Qatar Versus Abortion in India
We advise you not to delay in availing of a legal, safe and confidential abortion. Delay in abortion comes with complications and limited options. Earlier is the better.
Schedule your appointment at AHB today!
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