Reproductive rights include the freedom to decide whether and when to have children without coercion or discrimination. This historical Population Matters submission examines concerns about two-child population policies in Indian states and their implications for women’s rights.

Dated 31 July 2023, it was submitted to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. It draws on research commissioned by Population Matters and conducted by an Indian consultant in November 2022. The submission explicitly states that this research had not been updated before it was submitted.

The report describes policies and proposals linking the number of children a person has to eligibility for government employment and local elections, and access to some welfare benefits. It argues that these measures can restrict reproductive choice and that their effects are likely to fall disproportionately on women, affecting livelihoods and political participation.

The submission asks the Commission to establish the policies’ status and effects, challenge discriminatory restrictions and support voluntary, rights-based approaches. Its descriptions of laws and proposals are historical evidence, not a current guide to Indian law or legal advice.

Read the five-page Population Matters submission on two-child policies in India (PDF, 31 July 2023).