An article in India’s Hindustan Times (HT) today provides some insight into the process of negotiating with an abortion clinic. 

A number of people, including women, have come up with creative ways to get their abortion rights recognized.

These include a woman’s own words or photographs being included in an advertisement.

However, a court in Mumbai ruled in 2016 that such advertisements were illegal, so now, they must comply with a new law that allows them to be included in advertising. 

While the court ruling didn’t apply to advertisements that are only in the media, some of the women in the report do use the law to get rights to abortion, like the woman in the video below who is able to get a vasectomy through her own words.

The law also allows a woman to negotiate for a vasectomies to be performed on her own, with the consent of her husband, after a court order. 

“There are many women who are not aware of the law, and they are also afraid of being branded as ‘pro-choice’ and being stigmatized by their husbands and society,” said Dr. Satish S. Bhatia, a practicing OB/GYN and founder of Indian Women’s Rights Association (IWR), who helped write the Hindustans Times report. 

In the video above, the woman explains that she has been unable to obtain a vasalectomy through any of the existing clinics in India.

She says she was told her husband’s wishes would prevent her from getting one through a court procedure.

She also says that she was denied access to any other medical services, including contraception, by the local health authorities. 

Sri Lankan-born Bhatias told the Hindstimes that it is important to negotiate.

“I have spoken to many women, and I know many women in India are scared.

Many people are not familiar with the law,” he said.

“So, I decided to write about how I would like to get my right to have an abortion recognised in India.” 

The women in question all have similar stories.

They all said they had tried many different approaches, but each one seemed to fail. 

The Hindustani Times article provides a good overview of how to negotiate your own rights in India: 1.

Read the law. 

2.

Write your own letters to the Indian High Commission. 

3.

Visit the nearest abortion clinic and ask for an appointment. 

4.

Ask for the appointment of a woman friend. 

5.

Write a letter to the nearest government office. 

6.

Visit your local hospital. 

7.

Ask the doctor for an ultrasound. 

8.

Write to the doctor to ask for a copy of your pregnancy certificate. 

9.

Write an online petition to get your rights recognized in India (this petition was shared on Reddit). 

10.

Reach out to local NGOs to get the law changed. 

11.

Speak with a lawyer or two. 

12.

Talk to a lawyer and get a lawyer’s opinion. 

13.

Find out if there are any laws in your country that cover abortion rights. 

14.

Ask your local newspaper to report the story. 

15.

Write letters to newspapers in your area, including local newspapers in the state where you live. 

16.

Visit a local abortion clinic or online to get an appointment, even if the clinic is not licensed. 

17.

Ask about the availability of abortions in your state. 

18.

Ask around your area for abortions, especially in rural areas. 

19.

If there is no abortion clinic in your city, ask your doctor to give you a referral to one. 

20.

Make a point of asking the doctor how many clinics are available in your town, even though this may be the most difficult step to take. 

21.

Make an appointment to talk to your local government about getting abortion rights recognised in your region. 

22.

Contact your local abortion doctors. 

23.

Take your case to a local court and seek an order to recognise your rights. 

    Source: Hindustantimes, The Hindu