RTI data from the BMC reveals that women aged 25-29 accounted for the highest number of medical terminations of pregnancy in the city. (File)At least 716 abortions were recorded among girls below the age of 19 in Mumbai between April 2024 and March 2025, according to information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The data further shows that the city recorded a total of 20,950 Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) procedures during the year, with failure or inadequate use of contraception emerging as the most commonly cited reason.The information was provided by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Family Welfare Unit in response to an RTI application filed by activist Chetan Kothari seeking details on abortions, maternal deaths, and abortion-related deaths in the city.According to the RTI data, women in the 25-29 age group accounted for the highest number of abortions, with 7,296 cases recorded during 2024-25. This was followed by women aged 30-34 years, among whom 5,673 abortions were reported. The 20-24 age group accounted for 3,314 cases, while 716 abortions were recorded among girls below 19 years of age.Also Read | Explained: What is India’s law on abortion, and why has a pregnant unmarried petitioner gone to Supreme Court in appeal?Kothari said, “The data indicates that contraceptive failure or inadequate use of contraceptive methods accounted for the overwhelming majority of abortions. Of the 20,685 cases for which reasons were recorded, 19,495 were attributed to improper or inadequate use of contraception or failure of contraceptive methods.”A senior BMC health official, however, said, “I would not interpret this data as evidence of contraceptive failure alone. In many cases, women may not have used contraception correctly, may not have fully understood how to use it, or may be hesitant to disclose contraceptive use due to social stigma or embarrassment. Collecting such information requires detailed counselling and careful questioning by doctors. The data provided through the RTI is based on information recorded during medical consultations, but these records may not always capture the complete picture. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to conclude that all these cases resulted from contraceptive failure.”Other reasons cited included danger to the life of the pregnant woman in 271 cases, grave injury to her physical health in 288 cases, grave injury to mental health in 358 cases, pregnancies resulting from rape in 27 cases, substantial risk of foetal abnormalities in 246 cases, and other reasons in 265 cases.Also Read | Explained: Changes in 1971 abortion law, and why India feels it necessaryThe RTI response also provides a ward-wise break-up of abortion cases across Mumbai. K-West ward reported the highest number of MTP cases at 3,248, followed by F-North ward with 1,960 cases, S ward with 1,650 cases, R-North ward with 1,297 cases and G-South ward with 1,288 cases.Story continues below this adReligion-wise data shows that Hindu women accounted for 15,765 abortions, followed by Muslim women at 3,442 cases. The figures also include 649 Christian women, 354 Sikh women and 740 women from other communities.Apart from induced abortions, the city also reported 4,226 spontaneous abortions, or miscarriages, during the same period, according to the RTI response.Kothari had also sought similar information through an RTI application in 2017. The response, covering the period between April 2017 and March 2018, recorded 19 maternal deaths linked to abortion. Of these, 13 deaths were reported among women aged 19–25 years, three in the 26–29 age group, and another three among women aged 30–35 years.Religion-wise, the data recorded nine maternal deaths each among Hindus and Muslims, and one among Christians. During the same period, Mumbai recorded a total of 35,358 medical terminations of pregnancy (MTPs).