Gujarat: Abortion video from Mahisagar district shocks health department

VADODARA: A video of four women ‘killing’ a foetus illegally in the backyard of an old house in Santrampur in Mahisagar district has sent the district administration into a tizzy. The district health officials on Saturday got into the act and visited the spot where the women were seen taking out parts of the foetus before starting an inquiry into the matter.
The health department also registered a police complaint against the four women who were seen in the video that went viral on social media. The officials, however, said that they aren’t trying to ascertain if it was recently shot and initiated legal action against the women under The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
“The police accompanied us to the spot for further inquiry. We have registered a FIR against the four women,” said Dr Swapnil Shah, chief district health officer, Mahisagar.
In the video the four women are seen taking out parts of a foetus from a young woman. “Investigations will reveal if the foetus was already dead in the womb or if it was killed. The faces of those four women in the video aren’t clearly visible,” Shah added.
Allegations have also surfaced that the four women are ‘staffers’ of a private hospital. The cops are now trying to ascertain identity of the woman whose foetus was removed and investigations will also focus on the allegations of hospital staffers.
Shah said that the incident was serious and inquiry will be done to ascertain if illegal abortions are being conducted in other parts of the district. Santrampur MLA Kuber Dindor said, “Such incidents are shameful for the society. Legal action should be taken against whoever is involved in the incident.”