Mumbai, May 22: In a first such case, the Bombay High Court on Friday allowed a woman to terminate her 24-week pregnancy following recommendation of a JJ Hospital panel. The 41-year-old woman, pregnant with triplets, approached the Bombay High Court seeking permission to abort her pregnancy because only one fetus was healthy. A bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Surendra Tavade granted permission to terminate "entire" pregnancy. Prisoners Have Fundamental Right to Access Their Medical Records: Bombay HC.

Initially, another High Court bench had directed a panel to examine the woman "for the possibility of termination of one fetus only" because one fetus has anencephaly, where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. On May 17, Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Surendra Tavade reformed the panel and sought a report on the termination of the "entire" pregnancy, a TOI report said. Bombay High Court Says 'Could Have Saved Many Lives if Door-to-Door Vaccination Had Started Few Months Back'.

In its report, submitted on May 20, the panel said one fetus is unlikely to survive because of anencephaly. It also mentioned that another fetus has a soft chromosomal marker which means it would probably have genetic abnormalities. The third fetus was healthy. Foetal medicine expert Dr Purnima Satoskar recommended termination as per Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecogists guidelines, according to the report.

Based on the panel's advise, the bench allowed medical termination of the woman's entire pregnancy. The panel also informed the court that the continuance of pregnancy will affect the woman's mental health.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2021 02:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).