Woman seeks Calcutta HC nod to terminate 24-week pregnancy

A 32-year-old woman approached the Calcutta High Court Thursday seeking permission to terminate her 24-week foetus owing to an anomaly in its formation.

The petitioner claimed before the court of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty that the tests done during various stages of her pregnancy showed that the brain of the foetus is underdeveloped.

The reports also showed that the condition of the foetus was deteriorating, her lawyer Amitabha Ghosh submitted before the court, seeking permission to terminate the pregnancy.

According to the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971, the permission of court is required for undergoing abortion if the foetus is more than 20 weeks old, Ghosh said.

A medical board is required to be formed to examine the case and give its opinion to the court on whether to allow the termination of pregnancy or not.

Ghosh submitted that a gynaecologist had on December 26 prescribed immediate abortion in view of the condition of the foetus.

On January 7, the woman was examined by another specialist doctor who told her that a permission of the court be sought for abortion, he said.

Additional Advocate General Abhratosh Majumdar, representing the West Bengal government, sought time to take instructions from the experts of state-run SSKM Hospital and revert before the court Friday morning.

Justice Chakraborty adjourned the matter till Friday, when the matter would be heard again.

The court directed that the petitioner's husband be asked to be present before the court during Friday's hearing.

The woman is a resident of south Kolkata. Her husband works in a private company, Ghosh said.