SC asks AIIMS to examine if 29 weeks pregnancy can be terminated

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the director of AIIMS, Delhi to constitute a team of doctors for examining the safe termination of 29 weeks pregnancy which has arisen out of a live-in relationship of an unmarried 20-year-old girl. 

A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala directed the hospital to submit a report to the bench pursuant for medical examination today. 

"At this stage, we consider it appropriate to order that the petitioner is to be evaluated by an AIIMS medical board. We direct the director to constitute a medical team on January 20 to consider whether the termination of the pregnancy can be conducted without any threat to the life of the petitioner," the court said in its order. 

It was argued in the plea that she had taken pills from a local pharmacist who had said it would cause an abortion but wasn't aware that the medication had not prevented the pregnancy and didn't know that it had progressed. 

The plea further stated that in her 28th week of pregnancy, she was feeling unwell and hence saw a doctor who informed her that she is over 28 weeks pregnant.

Against this backdrop, the girl had also sought for restraining the distribution of abortion pills over-the-counter by pharmacists.