70 pc Indians support abortion under all situations: Study

March 14, 2016

Mumbai, Mar 14: Even as the issue of abortion remains a sensitive one, a latest global report showed that 70 per cent respondents in India support abortion and said it should be permitted under any circumstances.

"Seven in 10 (70 per cent) of Indian respondents say abortion should be permitted whenever a woman decides to have one, while 30 per cent said it should be done under certain circumstances, such as if a woman has been raped," Ipsos, an independent market research company based in France, said in a study.

The poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs via Ipsos Online Panel system in 23 countries sheds light on the global citizens' views on the controversial subject of abortion.

Currently, abortion in India is legal only upto 20 weeks of pregnancy under specific conditions and situations.

The report further showed, 20 per cent respondents said abortion should not be permitted under any circumstances, except when the life of the mother was in danger. Only 2 per cent said it should not be permitted under any circumstance.

Globally, three quarters (74 per cent) of respondents in 23 countries said abortion should be permitted while 45 per cent said it should be permitted whenever a woman decides.

Only 5 per cent said abortion should never be permitted, regardless of the circumstances.

"It is a woman's fundamental right to have control over her own body, and purely her own decision on whether to opt for abortion or not," Monica Gangwani, Executive Director, Ipsos Healthcare, said.

"While right to abort continues to be a contentious issue, there are certain situations that necessitate this - could be medical- where there is a known harm to mother or baby; financial- where the mother (or family) is not able to support the child financially; or in case of unplanned pregnancy (either married/ unmarried) due to failure of contraception, rape, etc," she said.

"As long as the woman is an adult of sound mental health, she should be empowered to take this decision," she added.

Abortion has been a matter of debate worldwide with many countries still consider it as murder, while women rights insist it to be a fundamental right to have control over one's own body.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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