Campaign partner: SEYA Collective
Decision Makers:
FOGSI (Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India)
Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA)
National Medical Commission (NMC)
Indian Medical Association (IMA)
State Medical Councils
Medical Ethics Committee within hospitals
Demands:
FOGSI, IRIA, IMA, NMC, and State Medical Councils must issue clear directives to all clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic centres stating that no woman can be denied reproductive health services based on marital status.
Mandatory training programs must be conducted for healthcare providers to reinforce the principles of informed consent and patient autonomy
Public awareness campaigns organised to educate women about their rights to healthcare services, irrespective of marital status
Accountability and grievance redressal mechanisms must be established to address and rectify instances of discrimination within medical institutions.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, claiming over 77,000 lives annually. Yet even today, Indian women are being denied regular, life-saving screening procedures simply because they are not married!
For early detection and prevention of cervical cancer, regular screening through Pap smear tests is crucial. However in India, a woman’s marital status dictates whether she can get access to these crucial tests. Further, the refusal for conducting tests considered to be invasive as per patriarchal standards is not limited to Pap smear screenings alone. Women are also denied access to other pelvic examinations and different kinds of ultrasounds owing to societal and cultural biases surrounding virginity and premarital sex.
It is no wonder that despite the high burden of cervical cancer and WHO’s recommendation that all women over 30 attend a screening, less than 2% of Indian women aged 30-49 have ever been screened! (Source: The Guardian)
Among numerous incidents of lack of access to routine, life-saving procedures across the country, we would like to highlight one such case.
In May 2025, Priyanka Kota, a trained development practitioner was at first denied a routine Pap Smear test at MedPlus, AS Rao Nagar; and was later denied a transvaginal ultrasound despite having a doctor’s prescription, solely because she was unmarried. To her utter shock, the doctor there mentioned that they are trained during their MBBS degree to not perform these tests on unmarried women. Several women like Priyanka face this issue regularly in major cities across India.
Despite national medical guidelines recommending regular screenings for all women above 30, regardless of marital status, societal taboos and misconceptions continue to hinder access to necessary diagnostic services - with healthcare providers continuing to treat marital status as a factor determining access to gynecological care.
Unmarried women are either turned away when they ask for these tests or moralising questions are hurled at them, perpetuating patriarchal norms and resulting in significant delays in diagnosis and treatment.
It’s 2025, and till date, unmarried women continue to face systemic barriers in accessing essential gynecological healthcare.
This is diagnostic discrimination.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) practices must be inclusive! Unmarried women and individuals who have a cervix must be able to access standard SRHR procedures without prejudice.
Women’s reproductive rights are part of ‘inalienable survival rights’, protected under fundamental right to equality and non-discrimination (Article 14 and 15) and right to life (Article 21), which the governments have an obligation to uphold.
Medical ethics SHOULD prioritise informed consent and patient welfare over marital status or patriarchal assumptions about sexual activity.
Hospitals and clinics must receive clear directives and sensitisation training on inclusive SRHR practices.
Join us as we demand an end to this diagnostic discrimination and call for inclusive SRHR procedures!
Sources:
Campaign partner: SEYA Collective
Decision Makers:
FOGSI (Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India)
Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA)
National Medical Commission (NMC)
Indian Medical Association (IMA)
State Medical Councils
Medical Ethics Committee within hospitals
Demands:
FOGSI, IRIA, IMA, NMC, and State Medical Councils must issue clear directives to all clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic centres stating that no woman can be denied reproductive health services based on marital status.
Mandatory training programs must be conducted for healthcare providers to reinforce the principles of informed consent and patient autonomy
Public awareness campaigns organised to educate women about their rights to healthcare services, irrespective of marital status
Accountability and grievance redressal mechanisms must be established to address and rectify instances of discrimination within medical institutions.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, claiming over 77,000 lives annually. Yet even today, Indian women are being denied regular, life-saving screening procedures simply because they are not married!
For early detection and prevention of cervical cancer, regular screening through Pap smear tests is crucial. However in India, a woman’s marital status dictates whether she can get access to these crucial tests. Further, the refusal for conducting tests considered to be invasive as per patriarchal standards is not limited to Pap smear screenings alone. Women are also denied access to other pelvic examinations and different kinds of ultrasounds owing to societal and cultural biases surrounding virginity and premarital sex.
It is no wonder that despite the high burden of cervical cancer and WHO’s recommendation that all women over 30 attend a screening, less than 2% of Indian women aged 30-49 have ever been screened! (Source: The Guardian)
Among numerous incidents of lack of access to routine, life-saving procedures across the country, we would like to highlight one such case.
In May 2025, Priyanka Kota, a trained development practitioner was at first denied a routine Pap Smear test at MedPlus, AS Rao Nagar; and was later denied a transvaginal ultrasound despite having a doctor’s prescription, solely because she was unmarried. To her utter shock, the doctor there mentioned that they are trained during their MBBS degree to not perform these tests on unmarried women. Several women like Priyanka face this issue regularly in major cities across India.
Despite national medical guidelines recommending regular screenings for all women above 30, regardless of marital status, societal taboos and misconceptions continue to hinder access to necessary diagnostic services - with healthcare providers continuing to treat marital status as a factor determining access to gynecological care.
Unmarried women are either turned away when they ask for these tests or moralising questions are hurled at them, perpetuating patriarchal norms and resulting in significant delays in diagnosis and treatment.
It’s 2025, and till date, unmarried women continue to face systemic barriers in accessing essential gynecological healthcare.
This is diagnostic discrimination.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) practices must be inclusive! Unmarried women and individuals who have a cervix must be able to access standard SRHR procedures without prejudice.
Women’s reproductive rights are part of ‘inalienable survival rights’, protected under fundamental right to equality and non-discrimination (Article 14 and 15) and right to life (Article 21), which the governments have an obligation to uphold.
Medical ethics SHOULD prioritise informed consent and patient welfare over marital status or patriarchal assumptions about sexual activity.
Hospitals and clinics must receive clear directives and sensitisation training on inclusive SRHR practices.
Join us as we demand an end to this diagnostic discrimination and call for inclusive SRHR procedures!
Sources: