LS clears bills on abortion, aviation

In a span of a little under five hours, the Lok Sabha passed, through a voice vote, two key bills — one seeks to extend the upper limit of permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks for “special categories of women, including rape survivors, victims of incest, differently-abled and minors; and another one which would improve India’s aviation safety ratings and provide statutory status to regulatory institutions, including DGCA.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which seeks to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 was passed by a voice vote in Lok Sabha, which also passed the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020. Several amendments which Opposition members had suggested in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill, were rejected.

It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 2 and was brought in the by the government in the light of the fact that several petitions had been moved in various high courts and also the Supreme Court, seeking to increase the upper limit of allowing abortions in cases of survivors due to foetal abnormalities faced by them owing to sexual assaults.

Meanwhile while replying to the discussions over the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020, civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri assured the Lok Sabha that the aviation sector would emerge from the current challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak, which forced countries around the globe to impose travel restrictions. The Aircraft Bill provides for statutory backing to the DGCA, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Aircraft Accident Investig-ation Bureau (AAIB).

Responding to issues raised by members during the discussion on the bill, Mr Puri said while airfares needed to remain affordable, it was also necessary that airlines remain viable.

He also said that the civil aviation sector has been deregulated and the government does not set airfare.