Bombay HC allows medical termination of triplets as 2 foetuses develop anomalies

The court was informed that the parents were not economically well-off, the mother’s mental health was not sound, and the birth of the infants would result in their mortality

The Bombay high court last week permitted the medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) of a woman after it was informed that two of the three foetuses she was carrying had abnormalities.

Bombay high court. (HT Archive)

The court was informed that the parents were not economically well-off, the mother’s mental health was not sound, and the birth of the infants would result in their mortality.

A panel of doctors from Sir JJ hospital recommended the termination to the court, which was informed that the mother who had been undergoing psychiatric treatment realised she was pregnant only in the 19-20th week and the pregnancy was in its 25th week.

The pregnancy had crossed the 24-week mark for termination, which was approved by the Parliament in March, so the couple had approached the court for permission.

After the court passed the order on Friday, the woman underwent MTP in Parel on Saturday.

On Friday, the vacation bench of justices SJ Kathawalla and SP Tavade was informed by advocate Aditi Saxena that after the pregnancy came to light when the woman underwent an ultrasonography. The report showed that the first foetus had anencephaly, which meant that its brain or skull had not developed. The second foetus had a soft chromosomal marker which would result in a genetic disorder due to the condition of the first foetus, while the third foetus did not have any anomaly.

In its report, the panel of doctors from Sir JJ hospital confirmed the findings of the ultrasonography report and, as the chances of the two foetuses surviving or leading a normal life after birth was grim, considering the mental condition of the mother, recommended the termination of the pregnancy.

After hearing the submissions and perusing the report of the panel, the court passed the order permitting MTP and directed the state government to take responsibility of the infants if they were alive after termination.