The Delhi High Court has instructed AIIMS to constitute ꧒a medical board to examine a woman who seeks to terminate her 27-week pregnancy as the foetus suffers from abnormali✨ties and that the chances of its survival are remote.
Justice Rekha Palli asked All India Institute of Medical 𝔍Sciences (AIIMS) to set up the board at the earliest to examine the woman and give a report ﷺon the feasibility of terminating the pregnancy. The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 27.
In her petition f🔜iled thꩲrough advocates Sneha Mukherjee and Surabhi Shukla, the 33-year-old woman sought the court's permission end her pregnancy under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
The plea said that the doctors have explained to the woman that the condition of foetus is critical and that the chances of survival of the baby are less than 50 per cent and i♏t could even collapse immediately after birth due to heart malfunction.
"By enforcing the MTP Act without an exception for the health and welfare of the pregnant mot🦂her, the respondents (authorities) have failed to protect the right to life by leaving desperate women carrying severe fetal abnormalities no choice but to seek unsafe abortions, which contributes significantly to India’s poor maternal mortality rate," the plea said.
It said the woman has suffered immense mental and physical anguish as a result of the "unreasonable" 24-week restriction unde﷽r the MTP Act.
In September this year, the🦄 Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021, which provides for enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women including survivors of rape, victim of incest and other vulnerable women, like differently-abled and minors, was enforced.
The MTP (Amendment) Act als🎐o allows for termination in the case of fetal abnormalities beyond 24 weeks gestation. Section 2B of the Amendment Act introduces medical boards to be notified in each st🌟ate that shall assess cases of MTP for fetal abnormality post 24 weeks gestation.
(With PTI Inputs)
