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

Madhok, Sumi, Unnithan, Maya and Heitmeyer, Carolyn (2014) On reproductive justice: 'domestic violence', rights and the law in India. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 16 (10). pp. 1231-1244. ISSN 1369-1058

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tchs20
Additional Information:	© 2016 Taylor & Francis
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Sets:	Departments > Gender Institute
Date Deposited:	03 Mar 2016 15:20
URL:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/65594/

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