KOLKATA: In a landmark decision, the Kolkata Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a woman to terminate her pregnancy at 35 weeks after doctors discovered defects in the fetus’ spinal cord and brain that gave it a slim chance of survival.

A nine-member medical panel made up of a Supreme Court order has recommended that if a child is allowed to be born with an open spinal cord defect with a brain malformation, he will need immediate spinal surgery and shunt surgery to enlarge the head.

Doctors have observed that even after surgery, babies can develop serious physical, neurological and developmental problems, such as quadriplegia, loss of bowel and bladder control, convulsions, cognitive delay and vision problems.

“In view of all the facts and circumstances, this court authorizes the petitioner to perform medical termination of the pregnancy in a licensed hospital or medical facility,” the Supreme Court order said.

A single-judge committee, Rajasekhar Mantha, made its decision while hearing a lawsuit by a 36-year-old woman to seek medical termination of her pregnancy on the grounds that at least three doctors had identified multiple medical complications of the fetus. It also affects the health of petitioners.

The bank instructed the director of the Graduate Medical Education and Research Institute of Calcutta to form a medical committee under the terms of the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 and to give an opinion in court. The report was submitted earlier this week.

The couple – the petitioner and her husband – also checked the medical report and then swore that they intended to medically terminate the pregnancy. The petitioner also informed the court that she was aware of the medical consequences.

“The risks and consequences of such a procedure for the applicant, i. H. abortion at this stage, have also been made clear, and the petitioner and her husband have carefully considered and accepted such risks. See Come, the petitioner’s life is not seriously threatened,” the order said.

The court continued that cases of this nature must be fact-based, as they depend on the nature of the medical association report and the necessary consent under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971.

In October 2021, the Center notified the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Rules, 2021, to extend the gestation period from 20 to 24 weeks for certain categories of women to terminate a pregnancy.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times