ABORTION

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971: Key Provisions

• Abortion is not permissible after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
  
  
• The law largely allows a woman to abort only if continuance of the pregnancy, according to a medical practitioner, involves a risk to her life; grave physical or mental injury; or risk of serious foetal abnormalities.
  
  
• While it protects married woman by allowing them to terminate an “unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, the same is not extended to single women”. This adversely affects the sexual autonomy of single women.
  
  
• The Act does not allow abortion of pregnancy in the case of minors or mentally ill persons without the consent of the guardian. As a consequence the guardian enjoys complete autonomy over such persons.