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On reproductive justice: ‘domestic violence’, rights and the law in India

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 17:57 authored by Maya UnnithanMaya Unnithan, Carolyn Heitmeyer, Sumi Madhok
In this paper we draw attention to the difficulty of accessing reproductive rights in the absence of effective state and legal guarantees for gender equity and citizenship, and argue that if reproductive rights are to be meaningful interventions on the ground, they must be reframed in terms of reproductive justice. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Rajasthan, Northwest India, we track two dynamic legal aid interventions on reproductive health rights in India, concerned with domestic violence and maternal mortality respectively, that have sought to fill this existing gap between ineffective state policies and the rhetoric on reproductive rights. Through an analysis of these interventions, we propose that requirements of reproductive justice cannot be met through discrete or private, albeit creative legal initiatives, pursued by individuals or civil society organisations but must involve comprehensive policies as well as strategies and alliances between state, non-state, transnational organisations and progressive political groups.

Funding

Res-062-23-1609; ESRC

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Culture, Health and Sexuality

ISSN

1369-1058

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Issue

4

Volume

16

Page range

1231-1244

Department affiliated with

  • Anthropology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2014-07-28

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