Women's choice matters, this is not US : Supreme Court of Indian permits abortion at 24 weeks, says it is their right "Women have the sacrosanct right to bodily integrity"said SC

 The Supreme Court on Thursday passed an announcement-interim order to allow an unattached woman to repeal her gestation of 24- weeks arising out of a live- in relatio, subject to a medical board constituted by the AIIMS Delhi concluding that the foetus can be abandoned without threat to the life of the woman. 

 

 Denying an unattached woman the right to a safe revocation violates her particular autonomy and freedom, the Supreme Court held in an order on Thursday. 

A Bench led by JusticeD.Y. Chandrachud was hearing the appeal of a woman who wanted to repeal after her relationship failed and her mate left her. 

 

 “ A woman's right to reproductive choice is an thick part of her particular liberty under Composition 21 of the Constitution and she has a sacrosanct right to fleshly integrity," the Supreme Court said. 

The Medical Termination of gestation Act 1971 was amended in 2021. While it increased the admissible time limit for revocation from 20 weeks to 24 weeks, it did so for only certain orders of women. This bracket of women finds citation in the Rules, presently under challeng. The list is limited — minors, rape victims, women with change in connubial status during gestation, foetal anomalies, women with physical disabilities and women with internal illness including internal deceleration — and excludes all other women. 

 

 On several occasions, it upheld revocation to be an integral part of a woman’s particular liberty on colorful grounds. The most important of them remain — internal health and choice. 

The lower court had taken an" overly restrictive view" that her plea for a safe revocation wasn't covered under the Medical Termination of gestation Act as the gestation arose from a consensual relationship outside connubiality. 

 

 punishing the lower court, the Bench said live- in connections had formerly been recognised by the Supreme Court. There were a significant number of people in social mainstream who see no wrong in engaging inpre-marital coitus. The law couldn't be used to quench" sundries of social morality" and overly intrude in their particular autonomy and fleshly integrity.