Cabinet approves raising of upper limit for permitting abortions to 24 weeks

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved extending the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks.

The Cabinet approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

The Bill will be introduced in the ensuing session of Parliament.

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While addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the upper limit for permitting abortions has been extended from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks.

He also said that this will ensure safe termination of pregnancies and also give women reproductive rights over their bodies.

The extension to 24 weeks will also help victims of rape, girls with disabilities, as well as minors, who may not realise they are pregnant until later, he said.

"In a progressive reform and giving reproductive rights to women the limit of 20 weeks of medical termination of pregnancy has been increased to 24 weeks. This is important because in first five months there are cases where the girl concerned doesn't realise and has to go to court. This was discussed with various stakeholders. This will reduce maternal mortality," he said.

There have been many preventable deaths of women due to botched illegal abortions by quacks taking advantage of their lack of legal options. The ministry has also recommended allowing homeopaths, nurses and midwives to conduct non-invasive abortions with training.

In December 2016, the Health Ministry has recommended that women, irrespective of their marital status, be permitted to seek abortion, in an amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act. Abortion beyond 20 weeks is also legal if a registered medical practitioner, in good faith, thinks that emergency termination is necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life.

Earlier, single women, including rape survivors, can seek legal abortion only if the foetus manifests congenital defects, that too only within a gestation period of 20 weeks. Failure of contraceptives was a lawful reason for abortion only if the woman is married and the couple wants to limit the number of their children.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)

(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)

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