SC refuses permission for late term abortion

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea filed by a woman seeking permission to terminate her over 25-week pregnancy, but refrained from making public the reasons for its decision to protect her privacy.

A vacation bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Satish Chandra Sharma perused a report filed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi which was asked by the Apex Court last week to ascertain the physical condition of the woman and her foetus.“We have perused the report dated May 24, 2024 submitted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences. We are not quoting what is mentioned in the report for protecting the privacy of the petitioner. But in the light of the report, we cannot permit termination of pregnancy in the facts of the case. The report shall remain on record in sealed envelope.

The writ petition is rejected,” the bench said in its order passed on May 27. While hearing the plea on May 21, the top court had asked the AIIMS to submit a report before it by May 24 regarding the “physical health of the petitioner as well as of the foetus and its impact on the former’s

unwanted pregnancy”.