RESTRICTING REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

ANYONE with a feminist lens - and many with an anti-feminist lens, too - in Tamil Nadu knows a shadow ban on emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) has been in place here for a long time, possibly ever since they became over-the-counter drugs in India in 2005.

- SHARANYA MANIVANNAN

While they are technically not illegal, it's extremely difficult to source them. Only a handful of pharmacies clandestinely stock them, and timely access is far from assured (they must be consumed within specific time windows: usually within 72 hours of intercourse, depending on the drug).

Last year, the Tamil Nadu government made a recommendation for an outright ban on over-the-counter sales of ECPs. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has reportedly since been considering this on an even larger scale. If implemented, there could be a formal, nationwide ban on the sale of all hormonal contraceptive medication without a prescription.