Syllabus: GS-I
Subject: Society and Social Justice
Topic: Issues of women
Issue: Surrogacy
Single Women Reproductive Rights:
- The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021, permits only married couples or only a woman who is a widow or divorcee to have children through surrogacy.
- It does not allow a single, never-married woman to use surrogacy for having children.
- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, did not contain any reference to single women.
- Single women face inequalities in reproductive rights including the right to access surrogacy, fertility treatment etc.
- The law needs to ensure equality and enhance the reproductive rights of single women in contemporary India today.
