My dear Tina,
This is nice and systematic in all else, and it is progressingly very well.
But how can Aisha, a professional policewoman, say
"But abortion is illegal, it won't be easy to find where she got herself aborted,"?
It is totally inaccurate. The Indian Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act is one of the most liberal in the world, and permits abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, for reasons linked to both the physical and mental health of the expectant mother, or the fear of the child being born gravely handicapped.
This period goes up to 20 weeks if 2 doctors agree on it for the same reasons. It has to be done in a recognised hospital.
Please see the relevant provisions below, it might be of interest. India is not like Ireland, where the doctors led Savita Halapannar die saying that they were saving her foetus.
See in particular the very woman-friendly provisions regarding rape cases and cases of failure of family planning methods. It is only in TV serials that abortion in India is treated as some sort of unforgiveable crime, which is no wonder seeing how regressive these serials are in general
This is of course a matter of detail which need not affect your story, for there could have been the fear of scandal associated with Reha going for an abortion in an open manner, but I think it would be good if you correct this point.
Shyamala Aunty
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Extract from the Indian Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (1971) as amended in 2002
Subject to the provisions of sub-section (4), a pregnancy may be terminated by a registered medical practitioner,-
(a) where the length of the pregnancy does not exceed twelve weeks, if such medical practitioner is, or
(b) where the length of the pregnancy exceeds twelve weeks but does not exceed twenty weeks, if not less than two registered medical practitioners are of opinion, formed in good faith, that-
(i) the continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury to her physical or mental health; or
(ii) there is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from such
physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
Explanation I.-Where any pregnancy is alleged by the pregnant woman to have been caused by rape, the anguish caused by such pregnancy shall be presumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman.
Explanation II.-Where any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method used by any married woman or her husband for the purpose of limiting the number of children, the anguish caused by such unwanted pregnancy may be presumed to constitute a grave injury to the mental health of the pregnant woman.
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