• UGI USER
  • May 16, 2024
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SC DENIES ABORTION PLEA FOR 27-WEEK PREGNANCY, CITING FOETAL RIGHTS

Why in the news?

  • The Supreme Court declined a plea for abortion of a 27-week pregnancy, emphasising the foetus’s right to live.
  • Justices BR Gavai, SVN Bhatti, and Sandeep Mehta highlighted the pregnancy’s advanced stage, questioning the child’s right to survival.
source:slideserve

Key Points About Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act(MTP) Act:

  • Passed in 1971 for safer abortions due to medical advancements.
  • Governs pregnancy termination via 8 sections and associated rules.
  • Progressive legislation with 2003 rules.
  • Prohibits unmarried women (20-24 weeks pregnant) from abortion with registered medical practitioners.
  • Amended in 2021 to provide comprehensive abortion care.
  • Expands access on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian, and social grounds.
Key Provisions of the MTP Amendment Act, 2021:

  • Allows termination up to 20 weeks for both married and unmarried women.
  • Requires one RMP’s opinion for up to 20 weeks, two RMPs for 20-24 weeks.
  • State-level medical board’s opinion needed for termination after 24 weeks due to foetal abnormalities.
  • Extends gestation limit to 24 weeks for special categories like rape survivors and minors.
  • Ensures confidentiality of the woman’s identity.

Associated Article:

https://universalinstitutions.com/abortion-in-india/