Reproductive rights of women with intellectual disability in India

The reproductive rights of women with intellectual disability (WID) are a matter of concern for all stakeholders, including the woman herself, caregivers, guardians and her treating physicians. The judicial system often calls upon psychiatrists to opine regarding the “capacity to consent” of a WID to procedures such as medical termination of pregnancy and permanent sterilisation. Apart from physical and obstetric examinations, assessment of mental status and intelligence quotient (IQ) are also carried out to facilitate an understanding of the above issue. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, (RPwD) and the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, elucidate what constitutes free and informed consent as well as how to assess capacity. The assessment process of “capacity to consent” to reproductive system procedures among WID is important and can guide clinicians. Before assessing capacity, the treating physicians should educate a WID with appropriate information on the proposed procedure, its risks and benefits through various means of communication and then evaluate the “capacity to consent” to the procedure. This article summarises the provisions of the existing legislations on the reproductive rights of WID and puts forward guidance for clinicians on how to approach the issue.