Mumbai: For the first time in six years, Mumbai has registered a decline in the number of abortions or medically terminated pregnancies as compared to the previous year. Data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reveals that there were 33,526 abortions in 2016-17, as compared to 34,790 in 2015-16.
That data also shows a considerable decline in abortions in the under-19 age group, indicating the reach of sex education and awareness in schools and colleges.
While health experts say that India are far behind developed countries in terms of the awareness about contraception methods and family planning, the drop in numbers should be considered as a positive sign. “I would say that the decline in abortion numbers is a very good sign. It simply suggests that more number of people are opting for contraception than termination of the pregnancy. The phrase ‘precaution is better than cure’ could finally be catching up,” said gynaecologist Bipin Pandit.
The data obtained from the BMC through a Right to Information application by activist Chetan Kothari shows that the number of abortions in Mumbai has had an upward graph since 2011-12, and this is the first time it has shown a decline
Dip in teen pregnancies
The number of abortions in the under-19 age group has fallen from 742 in 2015-16 to 483 in 2016-17.
“Teenagers today are exposed to a lot of information on the internet as well as television. Besides, awareness programmes about safe sex and contraception have also increased in schools and colleges, which may have helped,” said gynaecologist Suvarna Khadilkar who practises in Bombay Hospital.
Dr. Khadilkar said moral policing may not work on teenagers as much as awareness can. “The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India, too, has been involved in conducting many awareness camps in BMC-run has well as private schools,” she said.
She added, however, that unreported abortions carried out by quacks or illegally remain something to be worried about, and the government should work towards clamping them down.
The drastic drop in terminations in the under-15 category — from 271 abortions in 2015-16 to merely eight in 2016-17 — has, however, raised doubts about errors in data collection or data entry by the BMC. Doctors say such a drastic decline seems very unlikely.
Dr. Padmaja Keskar, the BMC’s executive health officer, said, “We have had a manual data system all this while. However, last financial year, we shifted to a computerised system. So far, the data seems to be correct. But we are looking at it in detail to check if there is any discrepancy.”
