Gender and Health
1. Abolish all coercive laws, policies and practices that violate the reproductive and democratic rights of women, including the two child norm.
2. Stop coercion in the use of contraception. Make user-controlled contraceptives available.
3.Guarantee comprehensive, quality health services (preventive, promotive and curative) for women, that are accessible, accountable, irrespective of capacity to pay. Special provisions – resources and implementation- to be made to address health issues specific to women. For example, access to safe abortion services
4.Assure women of gender-specific health entitlements (maternity leave, abortion leave, sterilization leave, creches, toilets) in public and private employment. A national scheme for maternity entitlements in the informal sector, on the lines of the “Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme” in Tamil Nadu (including cash support of Rs 1,000 per month for six months for care during pregnancy and after delivery), should be introduced.
5. Register all deaths and initiate audits of all maternal deaths.
6. Ensure safety, transparency and accountability in all clinical trials, and guarantee that the post-trial benefits of research are made available to women even from marginalized groups. Ensure disclosure of funding and of potential conflict-of-interest in all clinical trials, medical research and publications.
7. Make mandatory the inclusion of women’s organizations and women’s health advocates on ethics committees, from national to local and institutional level.
8. Regulate use of invasive reproductive technologies in the private sector, that covers surrogacy, genetic engineering, cloning and intensive ARTs.
9.Recognise violence against women as a public health issue and ensure provision of necessary services. Ensure prosecution and conviction of violators of the Prevention of Domestic Violence against Women and Girls Act as also the PCPNDT Act.
10. Include the topics of ‘Violence against women’ and ‘sexuality and gender’ as part medical and paramedical curricula to equip medical professionals deal in a sensitive manner with survivors of
violence, including domestic violence. Train forensic experts on the social aspects of sexual assault and rape, collection and retention of proof in cases of individual or mass sexual violence.
11 Repeal Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, and other laws, policies and practices that discriminate on the basis of sexuality.
R.S.Daahiya
