A Brief Overview Of The Medical Termination Of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act 2021

Changes Brought By Act

• From 24 Sept 2021, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021 has come into effect.
• The significant change brought by this act is the increase in the upper limit for the medical termination of pregnancy. Section 3 of the act now states a pregnancy may be terminated at 24 weeks, for certain categories of women. Previously the limit was at 20 weeks.
• The category includes vulnerable women, including rape victims, and women whose contraception may have failed.
• Other relevant provision added by this amendment is Section 5A, that ensures the identity of women who medically terminates their pregnancy will be kept confidential.
• It has been clarified that the termination of pregnancy must occur in a hospital or an approved place, by a medical practitioner only. The act requires the medical opinion of a registered practitioner to be taken before termination.
• Under this a medical board will be constituted, consisting of a Gynaecologist; a Paediatrician; a Radiologist or Sonologist; and such other number of members as notified by the state

Relevance Of The Amendment

• This new addition will make abortion safer and more accessible to women. It will contribute towards limiting preventable mortalities.
• The Statement and Object of the bill recognized that technological advancements have allowed for increasing the upper limit on gestation period for terminating a pregnancy, especially for vulnerable women.
• It further states that “there is also a need for increasing access of women to legal and safe abortion service in order to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity caused by unsafe abortion and its complications."

Questions

• What was the upper limit for medical termination of pregnancy before this Amendment?
• What is the importance of this amendment?
• Who are to be appointed as the members of the medical board, as specified under the act?