Bengal to hold safe abortion awareness drive from September 28

PTI, September 28, 2026, Kolkata : With nearly 60,000 institutional deliveries by girls below 18 reported in Bengal in the first six months of 2026, as data shared by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari recently, Bengal is going to hold safe abortion awareness drive from September 28.

The West Bengal health department has planned a statewide awareness campaign on safe and legal abortion services from September 28 to October 6 to mark International Safe Abortion Day (ISAD), with districts being asked to organise at least three activities during the nine-day programme.

The campaign, being conducted under the global theme “Solidarity in Action: Enabling Choice and Access for All”, will focus on informing women and communities about legal abortion, availability of services and post-abortion family planning (PAFP).

A health official said, districts have been asked to use mobile publicity vans for accurate information on safe abortion and reproductive healthcare.

The state health department data, cited by Adhikari, showed 12,847 such deliveries in Murshidabad and 4,178 in South 24 Parganas.

So while the government has announced a statewide drive against child marriage and underage pregnancies, including house-to-house identification of vulnerable cases and action under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and POCSO Act, this safe abortion drive is considered significant by the health officials.

In this context, safe-abortion information material in Bengali is designed to emphasise the need for confidential counselling, informed choice and access to trained healthcare providers.

It explains medication and procedural abortion options, post-abortion care and contraception, while highlighting warning signs such as excessive bleeding, severe abdominal pain, fever and abnormal discharge that require medical attention.

Health experts stressed that adolescent pregnancy needs a broader response covering prevention of child marriage, sexuality and reproductive-health education, contraception, timely medical care and psychosocial support.