The High Court of Punjab & Haryana has allowed the termination of 23-week pregnancy of a Chandigarh woman.
The High Court bench of Justice Ritu Bahri acted on an appeal filed on Aug 31 that had sought the Court’s intervention after which the Court had asked Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) to examine the woman.
The PGIMER opined that the woman had a single live intrauterine foetus with congenital malformation. The findings had suggested Arnold Chiari malformation, a developmental defect in the foetal brain & spine which has poor prognosis, not compatible with normal life. Thus, the institute had recommended termination of pregnancy.
Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, doesn't permit termination of pregnancy beyond twenty weeks. The law allows termination of pregnancy by a registered medical practitioner, where the duration of the pregnancy does not exceed twelve weeks.
If the duration is up to twenty weeks, the pregnancy can be terminated if doctors say its continuance would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or cause grave injury to her physical or mental health.
In view of the PGIMER report, therefore, the HC has now asked the institute to terminate the pregnancy within 3 days.
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