New rules for allowing abortion till 24 weeks

Government has incorporated new rules under the “Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021, which was passed in March 2021.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Rules, 2021

• Under the new rules, the gestational limit for termination of pregnancy has been increased from 20 to 24 weeks for exceptional categories of women in India.
• Women for whom the limit has been increased comprise of minors; survivors of sexual assault, rape or incest; those having physical disabilities and those whose marital status changes during pregnancy that is in case of widowhood or divorce.
• It also includes cases of foetal malformation where there is risk of physical or mental abnormalities, mentally ill women and women in disasters or emergency situations, declared by the government.

Background

In past, opinion of one doctor was required to carry abortion of up to twelve weeks of conception. Opinion of two doctors was required for doing the abortion between twelve and twenty weeks.