Activists question Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar’s participation in ‘pro-life’ rally

Activists have expressed their disapproval of Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar's involvement in the 'March for Life', a 'pro-life' rally that took place at Stella Maris College in Chennai on August 8 and 9. The event emphasized the importance of protecting human life from conception to natural death, and Prabhakar's participation has been criticized for promoting a fundamentalist stance on abortion and reproductive rights.

Concerns have been raised about the message this could send regarding women's reproductive autonomy and access to safe and legal abortion. Prabhakar stated that the rally served as a reminder that life has value even before birth and highlighted the belief that every unborn child has dignity, as well as a future and purpose. Videos from the event show him chanting, "Let's stop abortion."

Author-activist Shalin Maria Lawrence condemned Prabhakar's participation, calling it "unwanted and wrong," especially at a time when abortion, despite being legal, still faces stigma. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, legalizes abortion in India under specific conditions, granting women access to safe and regulated termination of pregnancy through authorized medical practitioners.

Lawrence believes that the Speaker lending his voice to the cause could set a wrong precedent, as it intertwines morality with a human rights issue. Abortion can be considered pro-life when a woman's life and health are at stake, but opposing abortion is not pro-life; it is anti-choice. Dr. Alka Barua, project advisory committee member and abortion theme lead at CommonHealth India, emphasized that people who organize such campaigns and marches often describe them as 'pro-life' events, but opposing abortion is not pro-life; it is anti-choice, and women's lives are equally important.