SC Refuses Urgent Hearing Of Plea Against Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear on an urgent basis a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act prohibiting abortion of foetus above 20 weeks.

The Centre told the court that the government is considering permitting medical termination of foetus up to 24 weeks, which at present is 20 weeks.
The court was hearing a writ petition filed by a Mumbai-based woman, whose prayer to abort her 26-week-old foetus was turned down by the apex court recently.
A bench headed by Justice SA Bobde and Justice L Nageswar Rao dismissed the woman's plea.
The bench said her petition raising legal issues could only be heard after the summer vacation, not now.
Earlier, she had approached the court to abort her foetus detected with Down's Syndrome.
The court had taken note of the report of medical experts, which had said there was no danger to the life of baby and mother with the continuation of pregnancy.
While rejecting the plea, the court had relied on medical board that said the baby has chances to survive.
Being aggrieved, she challenged the constitutional validity of the law prohibiting abortion of foetus above 20 weeks.
The apex court is already hearing similar issue raised in different petitions.