The Delhi High Court today directed the All-India Medical Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to constitute the medical board to examine woman who sought permission to terminate 27 weeks of abnormal pregnancy.
The woman said that the foetus is suffering from Cardiac abnormality. Justice Pratibha M Singh stated that “considering the nature of abnormality let a medical board be constituted by the AIIMS.”
The court directed the petitioner to appear before the medical board at 3 pm tomorrow on March 4, 2023. The bench also directed AIIMS to file a report and listed the matter for Monday at 10.30 am.
The petitioner is a 32-year-old married woman who is currently at a 27 weeks gestational age and by way of the instant petition, she sought the intervention of the High Court in passing directions to conduct medical termination of her pregnancy under Section 3(2B), The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 (as amended by the MTP Amendment Act, 2021).
Given fact shows that time is of the essence in the present case and also owing to the substantial foetal abnormalities, the Petitioner therefore approached this Court through advocate Anwesh Madhukar and Prachi Nirwan for enforcement of her ‘Right to life’ under Article 21, The Constitution of India sought directions against the Respondents qua medical termination of her pregnancy under Section 3(2B), Medical Termination of the Pregnancy Act.
The court noted that after the report of the ultrasound done on February 17, some abnormality was found in the foetus.
Thereafter, the case was referred to a foetal medical expert. The abnormality was found in the subsequent examination on February 25.
The court look through the report of February 25 wherein a cardiac abnormality with the foetus was found.
It is also stated that no abnormality was found in the ultrasound done earlier on January 5.
