Supreme Court rejects woman’s plea to terminate 26-week pregnancy, says no danger to life of foetus with Down syndrome

Earlier, on February 7 the Supreme Court had gone against the law and allowed a 22-year-old woman to terminate her 24-week pregnancy.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow woman’s plea to abort her 26-week old foetus suffering from ‘Down syndrome’. Down syndrome refers to a congenital disorder which causes intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities. As per the reports of news agency PTI, a bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, which had on February 23 constituted a medical board to examine the 37-year-old woman, took into record report of medical experts that there is no danger to the life of baby and mother if the pregnancy continued.

The woman, a resident of Maharashtra, had approached the apex court seeking nod to terminate her pregnancy citing that apart from serious mental and physical health problems for the child on birth, even her life was in danger.  The woman has said in her plea that this disorder could cause physical and mental retardation and a child would not be able to lead a normal and healthy life. Meanwhile, the law prohibits termination of pregnancy after 20 weeks even if there is a fatal risk to the mother and the foetus.

SC refused to allow a woman's plea to abort her 26-week old foetus suffering from 'down syndrome'.

— ANI (@ANI_news) February 28, 2017

Earlier, on February 7 the Supreme Court had gone against the law and allowed a 22-year-old woman to terminate her 24-week pregnancy.

(With inputs from agencies)