New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday expanded the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act to include “unmarried woman” as it allowed a 25-year-old woman to abort her 24-week-old foetus arising out of a consensual relationship.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and AS Bopanna directed the AIIMS director to set up a medical board of two doctors to examine the woman by Friday under the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act. It asked the board to determine whether the pregnancy, if terminated, could risk the life of the woman or not.
“We request the AIIMS director to constitute a medical board in terms of provisions of section 3(2)(d) MTP Act by tomorrow (Friday). In the event the medical board concludes that the foetus can be aborted without any danger to the life of the petitioner (woman), the AIIMS shall carry out the abortion in terms of the petition…,” the bench said.
The top court sought the report of the medical board within one week of the procedure.
Read the full text of the order here:
With inputs from PTI.