In a recent decision, the Supreme Court has instructed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi to set up a medical board to assess the health status of a woman and her 25-week-old foetus, following her application for an abortion due to financial difficulties.
The directive was issued by a vacation bench consisting of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, who have requested the medical board to submit its findings by May 27. The bench responded to the plea of the woman, who only discovered her pregnancy on May 17.
According to her counsel, the woman, originally from Dubai, is temporarily residing in a local hotel and faces significant financial challenges. The legal representatives have pressed for immediate permission to terminate the pregnancy.
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The Supreme Court has scheduled to revisit the case next Monday, taking into consideration the woman’s circumstances and the existing provisions under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act. The Act currently allows abortion post-24 weeks in specific scenarios, including severe foetal anomalies or when necessary to save the woman’s life, as determined by a medical board.
