Paper short abstract:

This paper engages with anthropological approaches to the study of global human rights discourses around reproductive and maternal health in India. In particular, we examine the way in which activists draw upon reproductive rights as a legal construct: both as a means of promoting women's access to health more broadly as well as furthering a feminist agenda premised on a woman’s right over her body, fertility and sexuality.

Paper long abstract:

This paper engages with anthropological approaches to the study of global human rights discourses around reproductive and maternal health in India. In particular, we examine the way in which activists draw upon reproductive rights as a legal construct: both as a means of promoting women's access to health more broadly as well as furthering a feminist agenda premised on a woman's right over her body, fertility and sexuality. Through an analysis of the work and the language used of both national and region-specific legal actors and organizations, we illustrate the way in which reproductive rights discourse is framed in relation to both national policy and case law and, at another level, ideas around claims and entitlements at the local level. The paper will explore the extent to which paradigms around reproductive rights actually improve the ability of women (particularly those from poor and marginalized communities) to challenge structural inequality and obtain greater access to healthcare.