Bombay HC allows woman to terminate pregnancy in 30th week

Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Bombay High Court on Friday permitted a 22-year old woman from Nashik to abort her pregnancy in the 30th week.

The woman and her husband had approached the High Court saying the foetus had "Schizencephaly", a rare developmental birth defect, and therefore, sought medical termination. The couple also told the court about their five-year-old son, who is suffering from Down's Syndrome, and said that forcing them to continue with the present pregnancy would add to their trauma.

On the High Court's order, the doctors of JJ hospital examined the woman and approved abortion at this stage due to a birth defect of the foetus.

The division bench of the court, comprising Justice AS Gadkari and Justice AS Oka said, "As there is a substantial risk of physical abnormalities to the fetus, it is necessary to terminate the pregnancy of the petitioner."

Advocate Kuldeep Nikam, the woman's lawyer, told the court that his client should be allowed to undergo the abortion in a private clinic in Nashik, as the doctors there are well aware of her case history. This, too, was approved by the court.