Bodily Harm: Abortion and the Rights of Women in Sri Lanka
The title of this article is taken from a collection of short stories by Margaret Atwood who has attained celebrity cult status recently due to her dystopic novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which…
Search Results for: abortion
Extracting Labor, Constructing Power: The Right to Abortion
resurj Sri Lanka enshrines a right to universal healthcare but critically neglects women in this universal promise. Acknowledging that abortion is politicized through its economic and colonial history is crucial for recognizing…
Abortion – Where is Sri Lanka On The Spectrum?
“If you are not in favour of legal abortion, then you are in favour of illegal abortion” Prof. Arulkumaran On October 28, 2012, Savita Halappanavar, a young Indian dentist, died in Ireland…
Abortion: A Reply
In an article a few weeks ago, I argued that an embryo is a person with dignity and rights, and that this must change how we see both abortion pregnancy. There were…
Let Women Decide: Some Feminist Perspectives on the ‘Abortion Debate’
At this moment in Sri Lanka, ‘the abortion debate’ has sprung up once again; with the cabinet purportedly attempting to pass a bill which would legalize abortions for women under two circumstances[1]…
A womb of one’s own: Life, abortion and motherhood in Sri Lanka
Photograph: Paul Mezzer/FRF/Getty via The Irish Times From well-intentioned comments about our weight and skin colour, to the insidious experience of being followed as we walk on the street, women are wearily…
Abortion, Women and Personhood
The government’s plans to liberalise Sri Lanka’s abortion laws has polarised public opinion. Abortion is either supported as a natural extension of a woman’s autonomy and right to choose, or is opposed…
The Abortion Debate: The Absence of Questions
The government of Sri Lanka recently announced plans to widen the scope of the law on abortion. This initiative was subsequently put on hold because of strong opposition from religious leaders and…
The Abortion Debate: Mismatched and Misplaced?
Image courtesy Asia Society I once came into contact with a woman on account of a professional relationship we had. We had met to discuss her prolonged absence from work. With a…
On Consent – Romeo and Juliet and the Draft Bill
Newscutter What is consent? When it comes to sexual relations, the concept of consent is that it must be between two consenting adults. Currently, the age of consent for girls in Sri…
The Fight for Women’s Empowerment During Conflict and Crises
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate progress. Sri Lanka, like many nations, grapples with a confluence of crises driven by geopolitical conflicts, rising…
The Sri Lankan Kella
I am the woman of my country The product of ‘culture’, of history of a nation The result of procreation The manufactured playground of patriarchy The battlefield of nationalism I am…
Finding the Crime in Reproductive Choice
International Women’s Month was heralded by the familiar sound of male decision making in Sri Lanka’s parliament. The agenda for International Women’s Day was the legalization of abortion in the instance of…
Facing the Ongoing Trauma of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Almost every conflict around the world from Bosnia to Syria, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, involves Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). It refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion,…
Reforms Needed to Combat Sexual and Gender Based Violence
In his presidential election manifesto, Gotabaya Rajapaksa noted that “Sexual and Gender Based violence has increased in our country”. However, during his first year in office, little has been done to introduce…
