Odisha Woman Abandoned For Undergoing Sterilisation: What About Bodily Autonomy?

A tribal woman named Janaki Dehury, who is a mother of 11 children, was driven out of her house in Odisha’s Keonjhar district by her husband Rabi for undergoing a tubectomy, a permanent birth control method. Janaki Dehury and her children have been staying outside their house after being kicked out by her husband.

Dehury had apparently decided to undergo a tubectomy after being convinced by a local Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) about the adverse impact of giving birth every year. She had given birth to 11 children in her 11 years of marriage to Rebi, and one of the children had passed away.

After growing a life inside her for 40 weeks, a woman’s body needs time to heal and recover. This might take somewhere from 6 months to a year or longer, depending on her health and complications during delivery. Many studies have revealed that a minimum of 18 to 24 months is vital between giving birth and getting pregnant again. But are tribal, rural, and less-educated or uneducated women aware of this? How long are men going to deny women of bodily autonomy? 

Odisha Woman Undergo Sterilisation

The presence of government initiatives like ASHA is intended to spread awareness among couples about the dire consequences frequent pregnancies can have on women and the importance of family planning. ASHA worker Bijaylaxmi Biswal, who convinced Janaki Dehury to undergo sterilisation, said that the frequent pregnancies are taking a toll on Dehury’s health and that she is too weak to handle any more pregnancies.

However, even if women like Janaki Dehury understand the health risks and take precautionary measures, they end up facing domestic violence from their husbands. "Though many of our village women had gone for the operation, my husband does not understand, and he drove me out of the house," Janaki said.

Her husband, Rabi, claimed that his wife had committed a heinous crime by undergoing the sterilisation process. He said, "According to the belief in our community, our forefathers will not get water if women undergo the operation. So I’m strongly against such an operation."

This cultural belief is just an excuse to get away with the patriarchal mindset of men like Rabi. Deep down, all they want is women to be submissive, and pregnancy ensures that women don’t have the opportunity or ability to become self-sufficient. The truth is that misogynistic men are terrified of independent women. So, they ensure that their wives don’t get the opportunity to become one.

How long are we going to let women in certain pockets of our society fall prey to patriarchy in the name of tradition and custom? Janaki Dehury is just one example of the millions of women who are merely seen as baby making machines. They lack bodily autonomy and agency over their lives. They’ve been raised to adjust and compromise and never fight back. If not for ASHA and Janaki’s momentary courage to prioritise her well-being and undergo a birth control procedure, her life might have been at stake.

Janaki Dehury's single act of prioritising her health and exercising her right to autonomy and agency over her body has cost her and her children to live on the street. According to health worker Biswal, Rabi fails to understand his wife’s health condition and is threatening to kill her and anyone who tries to talk sense into him.

Reportedly, health officer Dr. Pritisah Acharya of Telkoi Hospital is trying to convince Rabi to accept his wife back. But what is the guarantee that Rabi will not abuse or attack his wife for undergoing sterilisation without his permission? Will Janaki Dehury’s be safe with a man who is threatening to kill people who try to convince him? Isn’t throwing his wife out of their house enough proof that he is toxic? What kind of life will she live with a misogynist like Rabi? How will this be a safe and positive environment for the children to grow up in? Instead, it would be a safer solution to get Janaki and her children enrolled in a shelter home and provide her with employment.

Suggested Reading: Why Men Should Have No Say In Women’s Reproductive Rights