In a shocking case, a 28-year-old pregnant woman in a village in Tamil Nadu died earlier in August, after she allegedly gave birth without any medical assistance at home, after watching 'how-to' videos online. The deceased woman, identified as Loganayaki, and her husband, were both postgraduate degree holders and, yet, they chose to give birth without supervision.
A similar incident took place in 2018 in the state's Tirupur district, where another 28-year-old woman, Krithiga, passed away due to pregnancy-related complications after attempting to deliver her baby herself with the help of birthing tutorials on YouTube.
In 2021, in the state's Ranipet district, a man was detained for helping his wife give birth with the help of YouTube videos. The unsupervised delivery lead to a stillborn.
In all of these cases, access to medical support was not an issue. Neither was the issue of giving birth at home. But they both chose to do it without any medical assistance – or supervision – by a person who is qualified to conduct the procedure.