• The Parliament has cleared the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
• The bill was approved in the Rajya Sabha March 16, 2021. The bill was already passed in the Lok Sabha on March 17, 2020.
• The bill was passed with the objective of amending the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.

Key Features of the Bill

• Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 proposes for the opinion from one provider to terminate the pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation.
• It has introduced the requirement of opinion from the two providers in order to terminate the pregnancy up to 20-24 weeks.
• The bill also increases the upper gestation limit from 20 weeks to 24 weeks for the special categories of women like survivors of rape, differently-abled women, minors and victims of incest.
• The bill proposes that the upper gestation limit will not be applicable in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities if it is diagnosed by Medical Board.
• The composition, functions and other details of the Medical Board will be provided under the Act.
• The bill also proposes that, the name and other such details of woman whose pregnancy has been terminated should only be revealed to the person authorised by law.
• The amendments in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill was brought about with the objective of expanding the women’s access to safe and legal abortion services on eugenic, therapeutic, social & humanitarian grounds.