Delhi HC allows woman to terminate 25-week pregnancy citing foetus' abnormalities

The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed a woman a medical termination of her 25-week pregnancy as the foetus is suffering from Bilateral Agenesis and Anlyaramni.

Justice Navin Chawla permitted the woman to abort her pregnancy.

The High Court earlier had directed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here to constitute doctors' panel to examine the medical condition of petitioner woman as foetus being carried by her is suffering from serious abnormalities.

Earlier, the Vacation Bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru directed Superintendent, AIIMS to forthwith constitute a medical board to examine the petitioner and submit a report regarding the medical condition of the foetus and the possibility of the foetus not surviving the term of the pregnancy.

The petitioner through her advocate Sneha Mukherjee had sought directions be issued to the respondents to permit her to undergo abortion.

Mukherjee stated that the foetus would not survive till child's birth as both the kidneys have not been developed as yet. She submitted that in the circumstances it would be futile to compel the petitioner to undergo the full term of pregnancy.

The petition has challenged the constitutional validity of section 3 (2) (b) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 (MTP) restricted to the ceiling of 20 weeks stipulated therein.

(ANI)