Actress Somy Ali shares her point of view on the recent supreme court judgement on reproductive rights

As we know, in a significant ruling on reproductive rights, the Supreme Court recently extended the right to safe and legal abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy to unmarried and single women, saying it is the “right of every woman to make reproductive choices without undue interference from the State”.Now, all women in the country, regardless of marital status, can undergo an abortion up to 24 weeks into pregnancy.

What’s your point of view on this? What do you feel will be the consequences in a country like India? Former actress Somy Ali, who resides in Los Angeles and runs an NGO, shares her point of view on this new amendment. "That is progress compared to what is happening in the US. However, whether it is India or my country, I am in complete shock how we have gone back to the days of pre 1973 Roe Vs Wade in the US and anywhere else where men are making decisions about women's bodies. It's deplorably backwards and reeks of a patriarchal society in its fullest form. What amazes me is that these are educated people making these archaic decisions when we all know at first it is a cell not a foetus.” She further adds,”I am completely pro choice when it comes to abortion rights for women personally and professionally with the work I do I encounter rape victims as young as nine years old impregnated by the perpetrator. It is not physically conceivable for these children to have children. So this is more than troubling for me as it impacts the lives of the victims that are referred to No More Tears who are raped and impregnated through the heinous crime,If it is within the first trimester and more so if it is a child or a victim, I am completely by their side with whatever they decide when it comes to their bodies. I do know after 15 years of working in this field that a child cannot have a child as her body is not built to do so and she can potentially lose her life if she were forced to give birth.” Somy also urges to read a particular book to all the young women.

She goes on to give a call to action,”I urge all young girls and women to read Margret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale or watch the TV show based on that specific book. It's quite apropos to where we are headed as a world if things don't change for girls/women. As women we must fight for our rights and speak up for others in the same predicament. We should be a team and support one another without the fear of the consequences in doing so. When one speaks up and shares one's truth, people want to shut them down rather than supporting them. This is all fear based suppression and once again this fear stems from powerful men. The more we repress ourselves, the more we will find ourselves in situations that will be difficult to turn around and step away from which gives decision makers leverage to further their agendas of taking our rights. It takes a lot of courage to stand up against power, but once you do there is no looking back at least for me and the victims my organization rescues. Nothing will deter No More Tears from finding ways to fulfil victims' rights. Not on my watch."