The government has notified new Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Rules, 2021, clarifying the situations that characterize eligibility criteria for termination of pregnancy up to 24 weeks, as compared to the previous limit of 20 weeks.

The criteria for eligibility include survivors of sexual assault, rape or incest, minors, women who have physical disabilities, mentally ill women including those suffering from mental retardation and conditions where fetal malformation has a considerable risk of being incompatible with life. It also includes cases where it is assessed that if the baby is born, it may have physical or mental abnormalities, to be seriously handicapped.

Cases of those women may also be considered where there is change of marital status during the pregnancy, such as widowhood and divorce. Also included are cases of women with pregnancy in a disaster or emergency situation, as declared by the government.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021 came into force starting September 24. It represents an amendment to the 1971 MTP law. 

Source: ET Healthworld