Supreme Court allows Pune woman to abort foetus with no skull

The 20-year-old Pune woman had moved a plea seeking permission to abort her 24-week-old foetus on the grounds that it did not have a skull.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 31, 2017 12:56 PM IST

2 min read

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The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a woman from Pune to abort her 24-week foetus that does not have a skull or brain, PTI reported. The apex court’s decision came on the basis of a medical board report of Pune’s B J Government College that stated there was no treatment for the anomaly.

After the doctors said in their report that there was a “complete absence of brain and skull” of the foetus and survival rate was minimal, Supreme Court allowed the medical termination of pregnancy. “We consider it appropriate and in the interest of justice to allow termination of pregnancy,” a bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao said.

The Centre also informed the top court that all states, Union Territories have been directed to set up medical boards to deal with such abortion cases in accordance with Supreme Court directives. Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre said: “The Union of India has communicated to all the states and union territories about having such medical boards in place.”

The 20-year-old Pune woman had moved the plea for abortion on the ground that the foetus did not have a skull. Section 3(2)(b) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act prohibits abortion of a foetus after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Read | 30 weeks pregnant, 13-year-old rape victim’s parents approach SC for permission for abortion.

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