01Polity & Governance·11 min read·Prelims · Mains
Doctors decide: On legal abortion
The Supreme Court's directive to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act for minor rape survivors is a significant legal development. Prelims could test the current 24-week gestational limit and the composition of the SC Benches involved. Mains may examine questions on fundamental rights jurisprudence (Article 21 - bodily autonomy), the balance between reproductive rights and medical safety, and the role of judicial activism in law reform. The case also raises questions about the state's obligation to protect vulnerable sections (minor rape victims) within existing legal frameworks.
- Supreme Court Bench (CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi) asked Union government to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act to remove the time limit for minor rape victims
- Current Indian law permits medical termination of pregnancy up to 24 weeks of gestation
- Case involved a 15-year-old rape survivor seeking termination during the 30th week of pregnancy