Dear Partners,

As 2020 draws to an end, we look back with gratitude and thankfulness for being able to tide through the tough times with your support and guidance. We thank all the providers, civil society organisations and government officials who have led from the front and provided access to safe abortion.

2020 Highlights

We were in the news 300 times!

News on our reports, quotes from our experts, opinion articles by our partners and Campaign Advisory Group members appeared across tier 1 and tier 2 newspapers, digital portals and magazines. The impact of our reports, findings and work have featured in editorials like The Hindu and The Hindustan Times.

We had seven opinion articles published across The Hindustan Times, The Pioneer, Business Today, Deccan Herald, The Telegraph, The Outlook and Dainik Jagran, where experts have shared their thoughts on sexual and reproductive rights and movement in India and across the region.

Digital footprint expanded to 288K Impressions

Our social reach created an astounding impact. Our message resonated among our audience gaining over 288K Impressions and 1800+ Followers. Some of the key topical moments celebrated on social media this year included 49 years of MTP Act, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, International Safe Abortion Day, World Population Day, Women’s Equality Day, International Day of the Girl Child, Pride Month, Elimination of Violence Against Women and International Day of Disabled Persons.

During all the topical day moments, we emphasised the importance of choice and voicing for it and promoted an equal society where people get the right to make decisions for their reproductive health. The Secretariat partnered with various organisations like Hidden Pockets Collective, ICRW, Swasth Mahila Swasth Bihar, Love Matters and Feminist Approach to Technology to amplify digital events.

Crowdsourced a database of MTP providers

The pandemic exposed the information gap between abortion seekers and providers, and in order to bridge the gap we crowdsourced a database of 30,000+ MTP providers. The information is available on the Pratigya website, and the data is stored ethically following all cyber protocols. Since its launch in October the database has been accessed by over 600 users.

The database was amplified through a concerted digital campaign #FindMyMTP. The campaign has won two awards at the MSL Maestros 2020 - a Gold for Citizenship campaign of the Year and a Silver for Best Integrated Digital Marketing campaign of the Year.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (Amendment) Bill 2020

One of the biggest highlights of 2020 has been the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020 that was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 2, 2020 and was passed on March 17, 2020. The passing of the Bill was a historic moment in India’s SRHR and it aims to amend the 49-year-old MTP Act, which has not been able to keep pace with time. The coalition welcomed the government’s intention to bring about reforms in the now dated abortion law in India. However, to make transformative changes in access to safe abortion care and uphold “women’s reproductive rights over their bodies,” the coalition along with larger civil society organisations drafted the ‘Civil Society Recommendations’. This laid down points for a progressive and inclusive Bill. Taking cue from the larger document, Pratigya Campaign further classified the recommendations under- Advancing a Rights-based Legislation; Operational Convenience and Harmonising Bill with recent Laws and Judgments.

Partners offered Safe Abortion services during stringent lockdown

ARTH, DKT Janani, Family Planning Association of India, Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India and Parivar Seva Sanstha collaborated to draft a strategy to ensure that access to safe abortion services is not compromised even during the lockdown.

The service delivery organisations were joined by other civil society organisations and together requested the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) to come out with an advisory/guidance note to ensure that ‘abortion services are listed as essential services.’ MOHFW and FOGSI both had issued clarifications on the same to ensure smooth access to time sensitive services such as abortion services. Most service delivery organisations were able to resume services at their registered clinics within a fortnight of the lockdown.

Reports and Collaterals

Availability of Medical Abortion drugs across the markets of six Indian states- Assam, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

The fieldwork for the study was carried across 26 cities among 1500 retail chemists to verify the availability of MA drugs. The findings revealed an overwhelming shortage of MA drugs in 5 of the 6 states surveyed. The study also reported a ‘shadow ban on Emergency Contraceptive Pills’ in Tamil Nadu, wherein only 6 of the total 200 chemists surveyed reported stocking of ECPs. 90% of those who didn’t stock were under the misconception that the pills were banned in the state. The report garnered coverage across 100+ media houses across national and regional media.

Availability of Medical Abortion Drugs- FRHS India Report – State Factsheets:
Assam | অসমীয়া | Delhi | हिंदी | Haryana | हिंदी | MP | हिंदी | Punjab | ਪੰਜਾਬदी | Tamil Nadu | தமிழ்நாடு

Assessing the Judiciary’s Role in Access to Safe Abortion - II

The coalition launched the second part of the legal report on “Assessing the Judiciary’s Role in Access to Safe Abortion” on September 28, 2020 to mark International Safe Abortion Day. This report covered 243 cases between 1st May 2019 and 15th August 2020 that were presented before the High Court of India seeking permission to legally terminate the pregnancy. The report led to 100+ media coverage.

Staying Connected Virtually

Talking about the objectives of the Pratigya Campaign and being our voice for advocating rights, our Campaign Advisory Group members were part of multiple virtual seminars to share their insights and expertise on various issues surrounding access to safe and legal abortion services.

Each for Equal - A Facebook Live

We celebrated International Women’s Day with a unique vision and perspective. The global theme, 'Each for Equal' underscored the role each of us plays on a daily basis to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, and collectively create a world of equal opportunities for all. Experts from CREA, Centre for Health, Law, Ethics and Technology, Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India and National Law University shared their perspectives on countering stereotypes and steps needed for advancing SRH rights. The Live garnered 7K+ views.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Services - Digital Press Conference

To mark International Day of Action for Women’s Health, on the topic ‘Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic we hosted a press conference on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Services’ with experts from Family Planning Association of India, Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India, Ipas Development Foundation and Population Health Services India. The conference saw participation from over 10 journalists.

World Population Day with News 18

On World Population Day, CAG members Adv. Anubha Rastogi, Human Rights Lawyer, Dr. Kalpana Apte, CEO, Family Planning Association of India and Mr. VS Chandrashekar, CEO, Foundation for Reproductive Health Services, India participated in a Facebook Live hosted by CNN-News 18. CNN News18’s Associate Editor Ms. Adrija Bose facilitated the discussions. The Live was viewed over by 20K+ people.

Podcast with Vision Nari

CAG member, Ms Rupsa Malik, Director of Programmes and Innovation, CREA participated in the Vision Nari podcast to talk about the impact of the pandemic on India’s reproductive health services.

Virtual Roundtable with Economic Times

Economic Times Health World organised a virtual roundtable on ‘Maternity Care During Pandemic’ to discuss the challenges of unintended pregnancies and impact of COVID-19 on maternity care. The roundtable was facilitated by senior journalist Rashmi Mabiyan and saw experts from private sector and civil society organisations coming together to discuss the challenges. The roundtable had an active participation of 500+ attendees.

Interaction with adolescents on abortion laws and SRHR

In the lead up to the International Day of the Girl, a virtual interaction was organised on October 8, 2020, to discuss the ‘Abortion Laws in India’, its impacts on the lives of pregnant persons, and the necessary actions needed for its upgradation. This session was hosted by Feminist Approach to Technology and was attended by young adolescent girls from Delhi, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

Advocacy Training

A virtual workshop was hosted by Pratigya Campaign and led by PRS Legislative Research on 'Advocating with Parliamentarians'. The training was facilitated by Mridhula Raghavan, Program Officer at PRS Legislative Research, and Prachee Mishra, Deputy Head of Research, PRS Legislative Research. The facilitators shared the basics of advocacy with Parliamentarians and encouraged participants to share their learnings and experience. The training witnessed a participation of 40+ attendees from partner organisations.

Join Us

2020 was all about making the voices of individuals facing challenges to be heard by the nation and advocating for addressing the gaps, changing mindsets and building better healthcare systems in the country.

Do you think you strongly believe in what we do and want to volunteer for the campaign? What better than starting it this new year.

Donate - By making a contribution to our campaign and keeping the fight alive.

E-volunteer - You can contribute by writing blogs and sharing them on our social media pages.

Partner with us - Joining us to work together with equal synergies to ensure equal and universal access to safe abortion for all.

Sign up now to be an e-volunteer and work with us from home.

You're receiving this email since you've subscribed to updates from us.
To unsubscribe click here.

Like our Newsletter? Share in your network now!