A rights-based legislative framework — one in which reproductive autonomy is the presumption and medical oversight serves as a safeguard — will not resolve every complexity. 3 min read May 4, 2026 06:23 AM IST First published on: May 4, 2026 at 06:00 AM IST The Supreme Court’s insistence that an unwanted pregnancy cannot be imposed — least of all upon a minor — and its dismissal of a curative plea filed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences contesting the Court’s decision to allow a 15-year-old rape survivor to terminate her 30-week pregnancy, is a welcome reaffirmation of reproductive autonomy as a fundamental right grounded in dignity and bodily integrity. The apex court’s framing of the issue — “unwanted pregnancies cannot be burdened on the woman”, and the state must “respect a citizen’s autonomy of choice” — comes at a time when abortion is increasingly being framed as a choice between competing lives, not just in India but globally.…