Women Rights: Reproductive Rights
- IJLLR Journal
- Feb 8
- 2 min read
Vidisha Sameer Kodare, BA LLB, Shri Jayantilal H Patel Law College, Mumbai
Introduction
The French actress Kalki Koechlin is credited with saying, "No gender is more equitable than the other." Doormat behaviour is not typical of women. We are comparable to men. Nonetheless, a glaring contradiction still exists in the world: women are often viewed as outsiders in practice but lauded in theory. Women are denigrated by terms like "kalank" (blemish) and "acchut," (impure)1 during their menstrual cycle, despite the fact that they are viewed as symbols of purity and divinity. This contradiction serves as an example of how society does not respect women for their true selves. This contradiction illustrates how society does not value women for who they really are. Women's brilliance, empathy, and tenacity are the unseen forces driving change, yet these contributions are nonetheless eclipsed by systemic barriers and outdated norms that minimise them.
In addition to defending women's rights, this is an attempt to improve society as a whole. A world that truly values women’s contributions is destined to thrive. To honor women is to celebrate humanity itself—a truth that must underpin the foundation of a better tomorrow but this better tomorrow sounds like one of the stories which was never meant to be, as the days pass we have begun our descent to mayhem and we have been controlling our women like cattle stripping them of basic reproductive rights and putting a ban on their voices both figuratively and literally. Prohibiting abortion constitutes not merely a violation of human rights but also a deliberate act of aggression against autonomy, dignity, and freedom. To deny abortion is to sanction suffering, to uphold oppression, and to utterly reject the very essence of human rights. It is a vicious power play may it be done taking in any political, religious or personal sentiments . Abortion has always been a bioethical issue but that surely does not mean all regards to the common woman’s anatomy and autonomy should be thrown out of the window while the politicians decide laws regarding the bodily functions of another human being.
