Bill for extending abortion deadline to 24 weeks presented in LS

NEW DELHI: A bill that seeks to extend the legal deadline for permitting abortions for “special categories of women” was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The proposed extension of the upper limit is from the current 20 to 24 weeks for “vulnerable women” such as differently abled, minors, rape survivors and victims of incest.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan introduced the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 amid vehement protests by the Opposition against the Centre over the Delhi violence that killed 47. The bill also proposes that the opinion of one doctor should be enough for abortion up to 20 weeks of gestation, and two doctors for termination between 20 and 24 weeks.

The new amendments specify that the name and other details of a woman who underwent an abortion shall not be revealed, except to an authorised person. Currently, cases in which the pregnancy is beyond 20 weeks go to court.

The Cabinet gave its nod to the bill on January 29.

Experts have always been in favour of increasing the age limit.

“It will help save many precious lives. It is a much required change in the law,” said a senior gynaecologist at All India Institute for Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

“The scans to detect congenital abnormality are done usually between 18 and 20 weeks that give us very little time to plan the abortion.

Sometimes women come to us late and even if 20 weeks are over by a day, we can’t legally terminate a pregnancy,” said Dr Anuradha Kapur, director, institute of obstetrics and gynaecology, Max Super Specialty Hospital.