Table 3 Acts, policies, and programs around adolescent pregnancy
Protective policies | |
The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 | • The minimum age at marriage increases from 18 to 21 years for females |
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021 | • Expands the access to safe and legal abortion services • Increase gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women, including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women • Extended MTP services irrespective of marital status under the failure of the contraceptive |
Promotive policies | |
Adolescent Education Programme (AEP) | • This program covers awareness about body image, gender, sexuality, and STIs |
Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) strategy | • Create preventive, promotive, and curative services for adolescents with public health facilities such as adolescent-friendly health centres (AFHCs) • Enable sexual and reproductive health, Improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour, in relation to SRH • Reduce teenage pregnancies • Improve birth preparedness, and complication readiness and provide early parenting support for adolescent parents |
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) | • Focused on a holistic health perspective aspect of adolescent reproductive and sexual health like delaying the age of marriage, reducing the incidence of teenage pregnancy, meeting unmet contraception needs, reducing maternal mortality, and reducing STI and HIV cases |
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG)—SABLA | • Enable self-development and empowerment • Promote awareness about health, hygiene, nutrition, Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH), and family and childcare |