HC allows termination of 25-week pregnancy

The Hindu | Special Correspondent | 24 May 2018

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed a 25-week-old pregnancy to be terminated as the foetus has medical anomalies.

A Division Bench of Justice S.J. Kathawalla and Justice A.S. Gadkari was hearing a plea filed by a 37-year-old woman through advocate Sangram Chinnappa, who produced a report dated May 10 by Dr. Krishnakumar N. Shah, child specialist and paediatric neurologist.

The report said as per the antenatal sonography and fetal MRI reports, severe anomalies were detected in the foetus. 

The woman has a two-year-old daughter, who has brain anomalies and global development delay. She also can’t see well, does not recognise parents, and has uncontrollable epilepsy. The report said there is a possibility that the newborn may have the same anomalies.

The woman moved the court seeking permission to terminate her pregnancy as it had crossed the 20-week ceiling for abortion as per the Medical Pregnancy Termination Act.

On May 21, the Bench directed a medical board to be constituted at JJ Hospital. The team, with the dean of the hospital, HoD, gynaecology, professor and HoD, paediatric/cardiac surgeon, professor and HoD, radiology, HoD, psychiatry, and professor and HoD, neurology, examined the woman and submitted a report on May 23.

On Wednesday, after perusing the report, the court granted permission to terminate the pregnancy.

The same Bench also heard another petition filed by a 25-year-old woman seeking permission to terminate the 26-week pregnancy on the basis of medical anomalies. This matter will be heard on May 24.

This article was originally published on The Hindu on May 24, 2018