Supreme Court allows woman to abort 24 week old foetus

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a woman to terminate her pregnancy after the doctors opined that the 24-week-old foetus was suffering from cardiac anomaly and if born alive, the infant would have to undergo surgeries having a risk of high mortality.

The apex court noted that the report submitted by a medical board clearly suggested that there was no point in allowing the pregnancy to run its full course and it could pose severe mental injury to the 26-year-old woman.

The medical board of Mumbai-based Sir JJ Hospital, where the woman was examined in pursuance to the court’s order, said that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy as the foetus was not likely to survive and it was causing immense mental agony to her.

“We consider it appropriate in the interest of justice and particularly, to permit the petitioner (woman) to undergo medical termination of her pregnancy under the provisions of Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971,” a bench comprising justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao said.