SC directs to amend MTP Act beyond 20 weeks
June 24, 2017The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, came into existence in 1971. It’s been 46 years since the enactment of the Act and it has witnessed some major technological breakthroughs starting from ultrasound to magnetic resonance imaging to a range of high-end fetal monitoring devices.
Keeping this in mind the Supreme Court on Friday suggested amending the MTP Act to make the law “meaningful” by letting women abort a terminally ill fetus even after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
A bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Kishan Kaul asserted that it is imperative to take into account the condition of women after they give birth to the child. If a woman gives birth to a child suffering from a terminal illness she will have to live with constant fear of losing her child.
The Apex Court made these observations while hearing the plea of Kolkata-based Sarmishtha Chakraborty for medical termination of her 25-week pregnancy on account of life-threatening abnormalities in the fetus.
The MTP Act, 1971 prohibits termination of pregnancy after 20 weeks. The center has initiated the process to amend the MTP Act in 2014 but it’s been three years and the bill is still awaiting approval from the cabinet.
The bill seeks to extend the permissible period for an abortion from 20 to 24 weeks if the doctors believe that the pregnancy involves a major risk to the mother or the child or if there are substantial fetus abnormalities.
This unexplained delay in bringing the amendment has forced many women to approach Supreme Court for permission to terminate pregnancy beyond 20 week period. On account of this Supreme Court urges the center to bring the amendment at the earliest.