TIA NEWS

SCThe Supreme Court today constituted a medical board of seven doctors of the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata to ascertain health of a 24-week pregnant woman wanting to undergo abortion on the grounds of foetus abnormality.

A vacation bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul directed the medical board to submit the report by June 29 after ascertaining the health of the mother and the foetus.

The woman and her husband have approached the apex court seeking permission to abort their 24-week foetus on the grounds that it suffers from serious abnormalities which could be fatal to the health of the mother.

Ther Apex Court had said, having due regard to the urgency of the matter the court may listen the case today. The apex court had on June 21 sought responses from the Centre and the West Bengal government on the plea challenging the constitutional validity of provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

The petition has challenged the constitutional validity of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act that restricts the abortion of a foetus which is of 20 weeks or over.