Women have been denied of rights since time immemorial, however, now in a civilised society Women rights are recognised and protected under various Acts and under the Constitution itself.
Few of the women’s rights include, Right to equal pay for equal work,(Article 15, Article 14) Right against Sexual Harassment at workplace [Article 14, Article 19(1)(g)], Right to dignity and decency, Right to remain anonymous in case of sexual assault or rape, Right to not be arrested at night, Right to Free Legal Aid, Reproductive Rights, right against Foeticide.
Reproductive Right includes the right of a woman to freely decide the number of children, the timing of children and the spacing of children. It also includes right to be socially, physically and mentally healthy. It is on the woman to decide the number of children she wants to have or not to have children at all. Also the decision to undergo sterilization at whatever age that suits best to a woman.
Women have the rights to terminate pregnancy according to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act,1971. However, technological advances were used to determine the sex of the child during pregnancy which led to Foeticide. Hence, Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 2004 was passed to prevent prenatal sex screening and Female Foeticide. It is a punishable offence.
