Studies published in the May issue of Reproductive Health Matters highlight India’s fight to save the lives of women. A paper from Haryana1, and one from Madhya Pradesh2 look at ways in which activists and lawyers are using human rights legislation to hold governments to account and save women’s lives. Both papers include case studies of women who died unnecessarily in childbirth due to discrimination due to poverty and caste.
Another paper looks at systems for registering women during pregnancy in Tamil Nadu3. The paper shows that registration schemes and the demands they put on village nurses, are burdensome and may reduce time spent with women, providing the care they need. A fourth article4 considers the success of voucher schemes to ensure poor women can deliver their babies in clinics. This article highlights the inequity in access across different states and asks whether clinics can always cope with increased demand for their services and whether the quality of services is suffering.
References:
1. Jameen Kaur. The role of litigation in ensuring women’s reproductive rights: an analysis of the Shanti Devi judgement in India. Reproductive Health Matters 20(39) 2012
2. Subha Sri B et al. An investigation of maternal deaths following public protests in a tribal district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. Reproductive Health Matters 20(39) 2012
3. Rakhal Gaitonde. Registration and monitoring of pregnant women in Tamil Nadu, India: a critique. Reproductive Health Matters 20(39) 2012
4. Kate Jehan et al. Improving access to maternity services: an overview of cash transfer and voucher schemes in South Asia Reproductive Health Matters 20(39) 2012
EH News Bureau