Indian Government Should Repeal Law Banning Gay Sex

“India’s Supreme Court issued a disgraceful ruling against human rights in reinstating a law that bans gay sex” on Wednesday, when “the court reversed a landmark 2009 decision by the Delhi High Court that decriminalized sex between consenting adults regardless of their gender,” a New York Times editorial states. “At issue is Section 377 of India’s Penal Code barring ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature,’ a holdover from British colonial law dating back to 1861,” the editorial notes, adding, “India’s crimes bureau stated ominously that it will begin compiling crime statistics under Section 377 as early as next year.” Gay-rights supporters and “[h]uman rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, roundly condemned the Supreme Court decision,” according to the editorial. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh now has an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy of progress before his government steps down next spring. His cabinet should act immediately to seek a repeal of Section 377,” the editorial concludes (12/11).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.