My bhabhi (sister-in-law) is a fun-loving woman. My brother and she had a love marriage. She comes from a Punjabi family and we are Brahmins. It was an inter-caste marriage, but one which didn’t really face any trouble to get materialise. My bhabhi was a working woman, and after 15 days of marriage, she got back to her job. A month after the wedding, she was standing by the grill of the terrace. Usually a jolly creature, she looked tense. I was strolling on the terrace as usual and sensing some serious problem, I decided to ask her. She told me that she just did the pregnancy test and it’s positive – she is pregnant.
I was as horrified as she was. She was just 23 years old and it has hardly been more than a month from their wedding date. I asked her whether they were using some sort of protection or not. She was silent, I got that, she didn’t have a say. My nephew was born. It was a delightful event for the whole family. But I know bhabhi would have liked it better if it could be delayed if it could be planned.
Whether a lady has a right on her body or the outcomes of an action involving her, were the questions which hovered over my mind. How would I have reacted if I was in a situation as my bhabhi’s. I shared my concern with my close friends. We started to find information over various sorts of contraceptives which one can find in the market. Among them, Unwanted 21 Days was something which appealed to the woman inside of me.
Gifting it to my bhabhi as a surprise gift, I felt as if I have carried out a duty for the female fraternity. Equal participation in the decision making is a critical component of ensuring happiness, love, and trust in a marriage. And every woman should enjoy that equality, at least the one which relates to her body.
Image Courtesy: eslmarriagefileswordpress
