The Indian government is accused of giving priority to protecting cows to the detriment of women's health, as it attempts to impose a ban on the private production of medicines that are vital for women in labor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration is asking the country's Supreme Court to support his initiative to crack down on oxytocin, a medication that helps prevent postpartum hemorrhage, and also regulates contractions in the later stages of pregnancy.

The drug caused controversy in India after reports appeared in the media that dairy farms had abused it to control cow lactation. Some reports also claim in different ways, without scientific evidence, that oxytocin treatment causes cows to become infertile and produce milk that is harmful to humans.

Given that the Hindu majority of India considers cows to be sacred, and the country’s general election will be held in just a couple of weeks, the government, led by Hindus, has decided on this issue as a potential winner of the vote, but groups of doctors and patients claim the ban on private production goes too far, and that the government has not paid due attention to the impact this will have on women's lives.

Mr. Srinivasan, co-founder of Low Cost Standard Therapeutics (Locost), a not-for-profit pharmaceutical firm set up to improve the availability of cheap essential drugs, said in his report to the Indian Medical Ethics Journal, “For those who are concerned about the vulnerability of women’s lives during childbirth, it will be sad if the government puts animal welfare above maternal health and safety. ”