Set up permanent medical boards for abortion cases: Centre to states

The Centre’s instruction came after court’s direction following its refusal to grant permission to abort 32-week foetus of a 10-year-old rape survivor from Chandigarh.

The Centre has issued instructions to all states and Union territories to set up a permanent medical board which will take prompt decision in cases where pregnant women and girls seek nod for abortion.

The court had earlier refused to grant permission to abort 32-week foetus of a 10-year-old rape survivor from Chandigarh. (Illustration: Siddhant Jumde)

Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar informed the Supreme Court on Thursday about the government’s initiative taken subsequent to the order of a bench headed by the then Chief Justice JS Khehar.

Kumar said the court’s order had been conveyed to the states through its directive and a feedback has been sought from them.

On July 28, the SC had asked the solicitor general to take up the issue of constituting a permanent board with the state governments. It said such a panel was necessary because several cases seeking approval for abortion had come up before the top court and precious time was being lost in setting up a medical board to review the cases.

The court’s direction had come following its refusal to grant permission to abort 32-week foetus of a 10-year-old rape survivor from Chandigarh. The bench said it was neither in the interest of the girl child nor for foetus.