Just know this – it may sound easy to end a pregnancy with one click and a few pills, but without a doctor’s consultation, it could just as easily end your life.
Selling abortion pills without prescription and age proof is illegal and a punishable offence under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTPA). But this mid-day investigation shows just how easy it is for anybody to go online and order a pregnancy termination kit without any medical advice or understanding of the risks involved.
This reporter posed as a customer and contacted several online portals that openly sell abortion pills without any documentation. It is a pan-India racket, and medicines are often supplied from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and New Delhi. However, there are also a few companies based in Mumbai that sell abortion pills illegally.Women are lured with the promise of discreet packaging, and some companied even offer tracking services. Some charge R350 to R700, while others exploit the desperation of women even further, and charge as much as R10,500. Don’t have a prescription? No problem, just pay another R1,500, and they’ll write up a fake one for you.
What’s in the kit
The medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kit comprises one tablet of Mifepristone 200mg to be taken orally, and four tablets of 200mg Misoprostol to be administered vaginally. These pills are taken to terminate pregnancies of up to nine weeks.
Abortion pills on WhatsApp
Cost: R775
Documents: Not required
Delivery time: 4 days
One of the first online stores this reporter tried was Net for Health Solution, based out of Uttar Pradesh. The store also runs a WhatsApp ‘helpline’ where customers can place orders for medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) pills. On May 18, after receiving a tip-off from a gynaecologist at a civic hospital, the reporter placed an order for the pills at the price of R350, along with an extra R425 for delivery within 48 hours. Despite the extra charge, the package arrived four days later, with an MTP kit from a well-known pharmaceutical brand. On the package, however, there was no mention of the product. The courier description solely stated ‘health’.
Case 2:
Track your pill online
Cost: R630
Documents: Not required
Delivery time: 5 days
Some of the sellers, like the Delhi-based Online Medical Store India, send the package through reputed courier services like FedEx. In such cases, customers can track the package and ensure that they are present to receive it when it arrives. This reporter contacted the store through a bogus email ID, after which they provided a link to the merchant -- an Ankush Goel on PayUMoney, where R630 had to be paid. Five days later, on May 29, the package was delivered
Longest case:
Pay extra for
fake prescription
Cost: R10,500
Documents: R1,500 for fake prescription
Delivery time: 1 day
On May 19, this reporter visited the online portal, India Mart, and enquired how to get abortion pills urgently. Following this, a salesman emailed from Ankur Drugs and Pharma Limited, stating that their office was in Crystal Plaza, Andheri West.
But on Thursday, mid-day visited the location and found that the office had been sealed by the BMC two months ago for non-payment of property tax. However, they are still supplying medicines online from their head office in Daman.
The email came from an account by the name of John Williams, but the author of the letter stated that his name was Allan Kumar. He told the reporter that it would cost R10,500 for two MTP kits. He also said that it would cost an additional R1,500 if there was no prescription, and that the delivery would be done in 24 hours after online payment to a specific bank account.
“Packaging very discreet, 100% guaranteed delivery… After completing a successful order with us, you should receive a tracking code when parcel have been registered with a reputable courier,” reads the email.
Excerpts from further email conversation:
Q: I can’t take the delivery at my house; can I collect it anywhere else?
A: If you don’t have a prescription, you should pay extra to provide prescription for justification. For delivery, give us any address; courier service will give you the product there. The payment is by bank deposit or transfer.
Q: OK, send me the account details.
A: You want make payment now or tomorrow morning? You should pay R1,500 extra for prescription.
Q: Please give me two days to arrange for the money. What if I don’t get the delivery after paying?
A: Delivery is 100% guaranteed. In case of loss or damage of your package, we will resend or refund in 24 hours.
Q: Can I buy it directly, and not online?
A: We mostly do wholesale distribution. We not have permission to take cash and our warehouse and financial service departments are not in the same place. Really sorry if you not want proceed by bank payment.
‘It takes minutes to
start such websites’
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has shut down 50-55 such portals that sold medicines illegally without prescription. But it is harder to control illegal supply from other states, said Maharashtra FDA commissioner, Dr Harshdeep Kamble.
“Maharashtra FDA was the first to take steps against such illegal sales of medicines in India. Initially, we used to receive many complaints, but it has decreased due to our initiatives. But the supply is still on from other states. Whenever, we find out about it, we immediately inform the concerned officials to take steps,” he said.
These websites are also very hard to track, as they enjoy anonymity on the Internet. “It is easy to run such rackets, as there is no way to track them. They operate from the shadows and don’t provide any address or contact details for the people involved. It only takes a few minutes to start such websites,” added Kamble.
Danger to life, say doctors
Improper intake of abortion pills can be deadly if certain complications crop up, like incomplete abortion, excessive bleeding or infection. Hospitals across the city receive several such cases of young girls who take abortion pills without the guidance of medical experts. In 2015, to stop this practice, the Maharashtra government sought permission from the Centre to amend the law to prevent the online sale of abortion pills.
“Only a licensed doctor can prescribe the drugs after a proper medical examination. But due to easy availability, often women under the pressure of social stigma take the pills without the guidance of medical experts,” said Dr Ganesh, Cooper Hospital dean and head of the gynaecology department.
“Both the cyber crime and FDA need to take more stringent action against this or illegal abortion will continue to risk patients’ lives,” he added.
Know the risks
* Threat to life
* Incomplete abortion
* Infection
* Blood clots in the uterus
* Undetected ectopic pregnancy
* Excessive bleeding
* Can impair future chances of motherhood
The law is clear
- According to Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, a minor needs the permission from her legal guardian to abort the pregnancy.
- Only gynaecologists or Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) can administer the drugs up to 49 days from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP). Chemists do not bother to check this date either, resulting in many women attempting an abortion at home way past the 9-week limit.
- According to the law, termination of pregnancy can be performed in a government hospital or a place approved by the government.
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